wizardkitten: October 2006

Tuesday, October 31, 2006

New EPIC Poll 10/31: Granholm 52%, DeVos 42%

Last EPIC poll: JMG 48%, DDV 43%. A five point swing.

Are we having fun yet?

You should have heard Rick Albin (via Sarpolus) trying to spin it like all the undecideds would break for Dick, meaning it might only be a four point lead. Or something like that.

Breakdown of the script is here.

GRAND RAPIDS - With one week to go before the midterm election, a new EPIC-MRA poll shows that Governor Jennifer Granholm has opened a 10-point lead over her Republican challenger Dick DeVos.

When you eliminate the "leans", the numbers look even better.

When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, 48 percent said Granholm, with another 4 percent leaning her way. DeVos was the choice of 36 percent, with another 6 percent leaning toward him.

Once again, Stabenow is cruising.

Her overall lead against GOP challenger Mike Bouchard has grown to 14 points, 52-38.

Prop 2 is all over the place. This is scary and sad.

The biggest shift in the past week has been on Proposal 2, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative. The proposal to ban affirmative action for public employment, education and contracting is now favored by a 49-42 margin. Last week, it was opposed 44-40. The undecideds have dwindled from 16 percent to 9 percent.

And Prop 5-

Proposal 5, the effort to establish mandatory school funding levels, still holds a slim two-point lead, 42-40. But 18 percent remain undecided.

It seems to me that all the other polls have shown undecideds and independents breaking for Granholm. Sarpolus thinks otherwise.

Sarpolus also expects the bulk of the undecided voters (6 percent) to go to the challenger DeVos. Because of that, everyone expects the race for governor to go down to the wire.

Maybe traditionally it has been that way, but given the anti-Republican mood of the country I think it will be different this year. Still, make sure you get everyone you know out to vote. It's crucial, and besides, it's the right thing to do.

WSJ/Zogby Poll- Granholm 52%, DeVos 43%

There is a discussion going on at Michigan Liberal (and other places) about how "silly" Zogby polls are, and I thought- "Hey! I'm silly! This must be the poll for me!" So here is your silly poll.

Still, it is an indicator, even though it may be a flawed one. And it is consistent with others that have come out recently. Interesting quote from the poll-

Granholm has the support of 92% of Democrats and is ahead of DeVos by four points among independents. Republican support of DeVos stands at 88%.

Are Republicans dumping Dick?

And as far as Debbie Stabenow goes- Zogby has her at 49-42 over Bouchard.

Another interesting thing to note- both DeVos and Bouchard's trend lines ticked down this time. I wonder if this is just part of the general anti-Republican mood that is sweeping the nation. Or maybe they both suck as candidates. Who knows.

Auto supplier chooses Michigan

Some good news...

KENTWOOD -- Here's a switch: A Virginia auto supplier is passing up Mexico to move here.

This winter, GRW Technologies Inc., a German-owned business now in Winchester, Va., will pick up its machinery and a handful of employees to move into a former Bosch Corp. site at 4460 44th St. SE.

Ten employees will relocate from Virginia and Germany, but the company expects to hire 50 local toolmakers and technicians, GRW President Walter Gebert said.

"We looked into different locations in America and also Mexico," he said. "But the infrastructure in Mexico wouldn't support a higher technology operation."

State and local officials were to announce GRW's move this morning.

Within five months, the company will relocate $3 million in equipment and invest $1.7 million for a leased 42,000-square-foot plant. The site also will be GRW's North American headquarters, and the business has an option to more than double its floor space.

Long-range goals include an additional $8 million invested over three years, and up to 90 more jobs.

Not all doom and gloom as some would have you believe.

Granholm's Traveling Salvation Show is on the road...

... and coming to a town near you soon. It's really called "Putting Michigan First", but I like my name better. I have a warped sense of humor. :-)

Here is a report from Battle Creek.

"Those bread and butter moderates?" she said to about 100 party faithful packed into Shrank's Cafeteria. "Those folks have been left behind by the Republican Party."

Granholm brought forward Democrat Sharon Renier, who is running against Republican Tim Walberg in the 7th Congressional District.

The governor said Walberg and DeVos represented the "hard right," and supporters of U.S. Rep Joe Schwarz — a moderate Republican from Battle Creek ousted by Walberg in the primary election — "should feel welcome" voting for her and Renier.

Amen. Do we really want more Bush Republicans in charge? Really? Haven't you had enough yet? This should be a no-brainer.

It is all about getting out the vote at this point.

Granholm went on to note she was "a Democrat through and through," praising the party as being one that "cares about all of our citizens."

The governor has held a small edge in most polls over DeVos for weeks. However, she remains shy of 50 percent of the vote in most polls — a standard benchmark predicting success for an incumbent.

She told the crowd that they couldn't view her lead as an excuse to skip voting.

"The last time I ran, I was something like 12 or 13 points up, but won by 4 points because Democrats didn't get out and vote," she said.

Make sure you vote. Make sure your friends vote. Make sure your family votes.

Our own Liberal Lucy was at the Lansing stop yesterday and has a report here. Behold the power of instant media. I did the same thing when she was at a GR rally recently.

The Governor is blogging about these stops at her website. Pretty cool. Surprised she has the time.

Granholm will be at Wolfgang's in the Eastown in Grand Rapids tomorrow at 8:30 am. (hmmmm... omelette) I probably won't go because I just saw her and it's best to let her get at some new people. Besides, I'm starting to feel like some sort of politician groupie and that freaks me out a bit. ;-)

EDIT 5:45PM- Holy s**t, check out this schedule for tomorrow- Grand Rapids, Greenville, Cadillac, Traverse City, Petoskey, Alpena, St. Ignace. That's a good 18 hr. day, assuming a trip back to Lansing.

This has got to be exhausting.

Granholm / MDP Ad: Greenville

I wouldn't post these ads if people weren't playing them... and to my great surprise they are playing them. Over ~~700~~ 800 views on the ads I have put up, and I just started this recently. Amazing.

This ad is about the success story that is Greenville, a town not so far from me. Electrolux left, and United Solar Ovonics came in. It tells the story of how Granholm stayed and talked with the Electrolux employees for hours- and knowing what I know now, I have no doubt that she did do that.

This one cares about people, and about our state. She makes that clear every single day.

Happy Halloween:

My spider lives!

This is "Spidley". He built a big web in my driveway- when that was destroyed he moved up to my porch. I thought he was a goner in the cold the other day. He sat in one spot near the top of the roof and didn't move for over 48 hours. Well, that what happens, right?

Yesterday, there he was, back in the middle of his web, hanging out in the sun.

I'm going to train him to jump on the trick-or-treaters.

EDIT 3:57PM- Forgot the NFL results-

Green Bay 31, Arizona 14

Atlanta 29, Cincinnati 27

Baltimore 35, New Orleans 22

Tennessee 28, Houston 22

Jacksonville 13, Philadelphia 6

Kansas City 35, Seattle 28

Chicago 41, San Francisco 10

N.Y. Giants 17, Tampa Bay 3

San Diego 38, St. Louis 24

Indianapolis 34, Denver 31

Cleveland 20, N.Y. Jets 13

Oakland 20, Pittsburgh 13

Dallas 35, Carolina 14

New England 31, Minnesota 7

7-7. Damn. I used to be so good at this.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Why would DeVos hit my blog looking...

... for information about partial birth abortion laws?

Check the IP address...

...and check where that address goes to...

Hmmm. Should we be expecting an ad anytime soon on that?

(Just a reminder, DeVos said he would have signed a bill banning PBA that didn't include an exception for the life and health of the mother. He would also make you carry your rapist's baby. Just so we are clear on Dick's position here.)

I bring you this information as my own personal salute to the Freedom of Information Act, something that Dick doesn't seem to think is necessary. Seems that the Michigan Press Association sent the candidates four questions recently regarding open government. Here is what happened next, courtesy of the Saginaw News-

The first question: "Can you explain in 100 words or less why you think the Freedom of Information Act is important to the citizens of Michigan?"

Granholm, who has a day job, found time to respond to all four questions.

DeVos' campaign manager simply sent the press association this terse response:

"Thank you for your interest in Dick DeVos' campaign for change.

"We respect that your organization is engaged in the public arena. People coming together to address issues is a quintessential American right and tradition.

"At this time, we will not be responding to your questionnaire."

No, no -- thank you, Mr. DeVos, for reminding us of a quintessential press obligation to inform the public to expect the same dismissive treatment from a DeVos administration.

So, here is some free information for all of you out there. He hits me with anything else, I will let you know.

Granholm Ad: Off Shore 2

Thanks go to Zack for tubing this one while I was out and about today...

Why won't Dick tell us the truth? Do you have to ask?

This is a good one. Watch it. All I can say is... busted.

Some information about the bear comes from the Granholm campaign-

On August 22, 2005, in a press release titled, "Governor is proven wrong regarding her attack on DeVos," the DeVos for Governor Campaign said: · "Not one Michigan job has ever been shipped to China and no Chinese products are exported to the United States. Period." (Press Release, DeVos for Governor, August 22, 2005)

Additional examples of DeVos team explaining nothing made in China is sent back to the United States: · "Not one Michigan job has ever been shipped to China and nothing made in China is sold in the United States." (Setting the Record Straight, DeVos for Governor, August 26, 2006)

"Not one item made in China is imported back into the USA. Not one." (Greg McNeily, DeVos For Governor, Blog from the Trail, May 23, 2006)

The "Teddy Bear" was purchased through the Amway subsidiary, Quixtar, on September 21, 2006 from a Michigan address. The invoice of the transaction is below.

And so is a screenshot of the Quixtar website where Teddy was bought, and pictures of the tag.

Well. Whaddaya know about that.

Dick DeVos does Halloween

Trick or treat!

Who is that moderate looking boy smiling on your porch? He's not so scary! Is he? Nah...

But be sure and watch closely as Dick does his trick.

DeVos is still trying to dodge the issue of his support of radical right causes by hiding behind the mask of pro-gay rights, pro-choice, pro-stem cell research, RINO Rudy Giuliani. He looks so cute, doesn't he? That Rudy, he's OK, he's not a staunch conservative like those other Republicans. You are lulled into a false sense of security and relief. Those extreme, frightening costumes make you nervous. You have seen too many of them in the past few years.

This nice boy wants a treat, and he's ready to perform for you. The best part of Dick's trick involves deception on the questions put to him, creating an illusion that everything he says is true and believed by all, while relying on his band of flying monkeys to do his dirty work.

For the illusion to work, Dick only wants to talk about the economy when he comes to your porch. In this story by Peter Luke, Dick says, "The people of Michigan deserve a discussion on the real issues of Michigan and that's where I'm coming from."

But out in your yard in the darkness of night, the other tricksters that Dick runs with are stealing your pumpkin and egging your house. If the "real issues" concern only the economy, then why are Michigan Republicans running this stealth campaign designed to mobilize the extreme right?

That's part Dick's trick, too. They serve the DeVos agenda.

Brian Dickerson can tell you about it.

What is unique (or at least unusual) about DeVos is his combination of business acumen and religious zeal. Lots of people who have made a killing in the temporal world talk about their religious faith. But DeVos has put his money where his mouth is -- or rather, where his mouth has been in the past, and would be today if he were not running for public office in a state where religious zeal makes a lot of voters nervous.

For more than a decade, DeVos and his wife and the tax-exempt foundation they control have funneled millions of dollars to conservative Christian groups that seek to promote school prayer, public assistance for religious education, the criminalization of abortion and the prohibition of embryonic stem cell research, among other causes.

DeVos says he is running for office to promote an economic agenda. But as governor he would be in a position to advance nearly every one of the social agenda items that have preoccupied his adult life-- and there's simply no reason to believe he has suddenly lost interest in doing so.

In other words, when you wake up in the morning, you are going to find toilet paper all over your trees. And it's real, real hard to clean up.

Another part of Dick's trick involves projecting his views as being those of the majority, indicating that what he says is believed by all.

Watch as Dick does it with stem cell research in the first debate.

Cain: What about embryonic stem cell research (pointing at DeVos) You're opposed to it across the board, Mr. DeVos?

DeVos: I'm a great fan of stem cell research...

Cain: Embryonic?

DeVos: There's been great... there's been great progress with stem cell research, but I have great concerns again... like many, many citizens of Michigan, concerns about what... when we talk about the loss of life and the loss of an embryo. We need to focus on the things that we all can agree on. What we all agree on is that embryonic stem... er... that stem cell research offers great promise and we all agree on that we have concerns about the embryonic portion.

See? We all agree! Pretty good trick, huh?

DeVos is reaching a false conclusion about the "many, many citizens" and "we all agree" based on his own limited worldview. Recent polls on this issue across the country show an overwhelming majority support embryonic stem cell research. The same holds true for Michigan. Andy Meisner (D-Ferndale) solicited a poll some time ago that showed that 73% of Michigan residents support this research, including 72% of Roman Catholics.

But Dick won't admit that. You might not give him the treat if he told the truth.

He did this trick again with Roe v. Wade, saying that "As soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned, which I think we all pray that it will be ... we will revert back to Michigan law." Well, an October poll by Strategic Vision shows that only 35% of the people want Roe overturned, the majority do not and some are undecided. Granted, Dick was doing his trick for a Catholic radio station audience, but he does this so much it is obviously a pattern with him. It is part of the overall illusion.

Remember, when Dick says "we all agree", he needs to falsely convey that he speaks for the majority, when in fact Dick is speaking for the minority of the people. Dick knows this. He would govern just for them. That minority would hold unprecedented power given the state of our Legislature. Instead of working on the all-important economy this last session, the flying monkeys chose to address further restrictions on women's choice and also work on a bill that would give religious institutions the right to deny adoption services based on "moral issues" while still receiving your tax dollars.

They ignored the "real issues" that Dick speaks of. They have been working on the trick all this time.

Sometimes the mask slips, such as when he suggested that intelligent design should be taught in science classrooms. Oops! No treat for Dick that time. He put that mask right back on.

Some are tired of Dick's trick. GOP consultant Bill Nowling says that DeVos should rip off the mask, concentrate on the "social conservatives" and throw moderates right under the bus.

Dick already has, he just won't say it out loud. Dick wants that treat.

DeVos and his family have been leaders among Michigan Republicans in advancing conservative stances on social issues like abortion and school choice. Lansing-based GOP consultant Bill Nowling said it's important for DeVos to let social conservatives know that he shares their concerns even if it means "you lose a few people in the middle."

Turn off your porch light, moderates- party advisers are saying that your views just don't count.

Some people can see right through Dick's trick.

Other Republicans, however, say DeVos is losing moderate voters given his views on abortion, his support for teaching intelligent design -- a variation on creationism -- in K-12 science classes and his 2000 school voucher drive to loosen the constitutional restrictions on public funding of private schools.

"Independent and moderate Republican voters will be deciding this election and, in all honesty, they'll be with (Granholm)," said Sen. Shirley Johnson, R-Royal Oak. "I think everyone is getting sick over how far right" the Republican Party is headed.".

Don't give Dick his treat. Some people in the neighborhood have already figured that out and are closing the door on Dick.

Maybe you should too. And hope that it doesn't rain, making that toilet paper all the harder to clean up.

Sunday, October 29, 2006

Granholm Ad: Crime Fighter

Here is the latest from the Granholm campaign.

Aren't you glad I learned how to do this?

I had managed to avoid ads all weekend by watching spooky movies on cable stations. A few creep in here and there, the MDP and the MI Coalition for Progress, but for the most part I was unaware of any new ads... but now, Mom calls me on the phone to tell me about them. And like the Good Dog that I am, I get up off the couch and get it on the air.

She's a trooper, my Mom. She needs to start her own blog.

NFL Week 8: The "I Hate Blogger" Edition

Let's see if I can get this to publish. If not, at least there will be a time stamp that shows when I made the picks, eh?

Arizona at Green Bay

Atlanta at Cincinnati

Baltimore at New Orleans

Houston at Tennessee

Jacksonville at Philadelphia

Seattle at Kansas City

San Francisco at Chicago

Tampa Bay at N.Y. Giants

St. Louis at San Diego

Indianapolis at Denver

N.Y. Jets at Cleveland

Pittsburgh at Oakland

Dallas at Carolina

New England at Minnesota

Open date: Buffalo, Detroit, Miami, Washington

No Lions to kick around this week. Hope the Colts are on.

Let's get 'er done, guv: We choose Jennifer Granholm

I was going to add this to my previous post on endorsements down below- but Blogger will not let me edit anything from the dashboard and will only publish from the "blog this" button.

I have had nothing but problems with Blogger since Google took them over, this week has been particularly bad, and if I continue to blog after the election (which I probably will), this will move to Word Press. I have had it.

Anyway, the Bay City Times rings in with their endorsement of the Guv.

Only by working together can Michigan's government and business leaders arrest the Great Lake State's slide into economic obscurity.

And haul it back to prosperity.

Gov. Granholm in her first four years in office has proven that she can get that job done.

Upon her inauguration in 2003, the shiny-new governor was handed what became a string of state budget deficits that eventually totaled $4 billion.

A Republican-controlled Legislature greeted the former attorney general from Northville with bared fangs.

Granholm has not only survived the ongoing partisan battles with the House and Senate, she has won her share.

Politics indeed is the fine art of compromise, and Granholm used her horse-trading skills - is that the attorney in her, or the politician? - to bring GOP legislators to her side on many issues.

And again, the vagueness of DeVos' plans sour the editors. It should sour everybody.

Granholm is familiar with our side of the state, and promotes it and our tourism Up North. It's not clear where our part of Michigan stands in DeVos' plans.

DeVos offers voters the improbable - that he would personally manage the state's comeback - and offers only clues about what he has in mind for tax reform and the economy.

Yeppers. Bring it home now-

Granholm has the grace and the knowledge and the skills to weave a common cloth from the competing threads of business and labor, Democrat and Republican.

With another four years in office, a term-limited Granholm could free herself from the shackles of pending re-election and have the guts and freedom to make her promise ring true.

Oh how sweet that would be. It's one of the things that gives me hope for the future- the chance to watch this woman take the lessons she has learned and overcome the roadblocks they have thrown in her face, and get us back on the right track.

Hope is a wonderful thing to have.

Hitting the Wall with the Michigan Republican Party:

There is a lady in my neighborhood who wanders around down on the corner by the local businesses shaking her fist and yelling at the sky. You can never really tell exactly what she is angry about; she jumps from subject to subject. There isn't anything coherent in her speech, no logic at all, you just know she's angry.

I have said "hi" to her a couple of times. She will stop yelling, smile, say "hi" or "how are you" back, calm as can be, and then proceed to go back to yelling after you walk by.

I don't argue with her about the things she yells about. What would be the point?

Lately I feel that way about the Michigan Republican Party and Dick DeVos. That is why my posts have been mostly about ads and polls this past week- I have reached the point where I really just don't want to argue with a bunch of people who are just pulling all their demons out of the gutter and shoving them in your face and screaming about them.

Case in point: Let's start with Craig DeRoche. He said something the other day that at first pissed me off, but later made me laugh as I realized I have truly fallen deep into the Theater of the Absurd that is this election season.

"The voters in Michigan are a smart bunch of people, but I do think the word needs to get out they are being manipulated by a billionaire," says House Speaker Craig DeRoche, R-Novi.

The Grand Rapids Press the other day ran this banner headline, "Billionaire spends liberally on state politics".

Now, at first glance, you would think that these two are talking about DeVos and the $35 million he has spent, right? Had they finally decided to come clean? No. It's the confusing pejoratives. That was the giveaway. In yet another round of that now time-honored cliche of "It's OK if You're A Republican", DeRoche and the yellow journalists at the Press were speaking of Jon Stryker, the billionaire who finally got so fed up with the Legislature he started the Michigan Coalition for Progress, a PAC that is running ads and sending out literature aimed at helping Democrats get elected this year.

To say the Republicans are freaking out would be an understatement. This has scared them so bad that they decided to play... the "gay card" once again. Because this guy has concerns about the wingnuts blocking stem cell research, or limiting access to birth control and reproductive choice, or any number of radical special interest legislation the right has managed to make priority one in Lansing, obviously he is going to push for GAY MARRIAGE. Quick! We need another amendment! Let the verbal bashing begin!

A top GOP campaign strategist on Friday said Stryker's Coalition for Progress has a "shadow agenda" to bolster gay and lesbian rights in Michigan, including a possible same-sex marriage initiative.

They have a web site set up to prove their specious claims.

The site claims Jon Stryker's contributions have challenged abstinence sex education and the preservation of traditional marriage and supported gay adoption rights, homosexuality diversity courses, abortion rights and domestic-partner benefits for gay and lesbian couples. It highlights Stryker's Kalamazoo-based Arcus Foundation's support for projects "which recognize that members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community deserve to be welcomed and celebrated."

Wow. I'm disgusted. Again. But mostly I'm bored. Aren't you?

Smear and fear are all the Republicans have to offer this year. You haven't seen it on the TV (much, there is a little, at least we now know how to cook heroin), but the reports about the robocalls and the direct mail hit pieces have been truly astonishing. Thank God for the internet- we have gathered them all together for quite a collection over at Michigan Liberal for an overview of just how pervasive this stuff is. I can't begin to highlight them all- but let me just say that they drag up all the GOP bogeymen: gays, terrorists, abortion, racism, Michael, Hillary and Ted, guns, violent criminals, raising taxes... and I'm sure there are a few I have missed.

The thing about these pieces is they flat-out LIE about the targets- here are a couple of examples with Granholm. "Governor Granholm actively supports partial birth abortion". Uh... no, she doesn't. She would have banned it if the legislation she was presented with hadn't had the potential to kill women. That translates into "support" in the eyes of the GOP. And on guns, "Granholm has made it a priority to chip away at and stop gun rights." Wrong again. The NRA gave her a B+ and decided not to endorse anyone in the governor's race this year.

The other pieces on the other candidates are just as egregious- claims with no base in reality, leaps of logic that are just too astonishing to be believed, let alone begin to address.

Even Bill Milliken was moved to write a letter to the Oakland Press about the smear campaign going on against Andy Levin.

As a Republican, I am appalled that these mailings come from the Michigan Republican Party and that my party is engaging in such irresponsible tactics rather than discussing the very real challenges that face Michigan today.

Expect a hit piece on Bill shortly.

So, in the face of all of this, what does one write about? Since the Republicans and DeVos have no plans or ideas that they will tell us about (see story below this one), and can only resort the tactics of fear, there really isn't much to say anymore, is there?

I don't argue with the lady on the corner. It would be pointless because she won't listen.

It's the same way with the Republican leadership nowadays.

I just hope that on November 7th, the citizens of Michigan decide that they have had enough of this kind of political theater and are ready to get back to the business of moving our state forward.

Our, we can continue to entertain insane notions from people who give all power to the paper monsters they want to put in your head to keep you afraid all the time, while under the radar their economic and social policies continue to hurt you and your family.

Your choice, Michigan. Please choose wisely.

Granholm receives more press endorsements

The Kalamazoo Gazette-

Although we agree that Michigan is not headed in the right direction, we believe Granholm is working to correct that course and has made some significant gains, despite the obstacles that have confronted her.

Michigan's economy was in a tailspin before Granholm was first elected in 2002. The state budget was already in ruins, the victim of the declining economy and a series of tax cuts enacted in the 1990s that left state programs cash-starved.

She had a Republican Legislature to deal with. Although we believe conflicts between the governor's office and the Legislature were real, they also were overstated at times. The truth is that Granholm and the Legislature often worked cooperatively to avoid K-12 budget cuts, to support life sciences and high-tech sectors and to create the 21st Century Jobs Fund.

-snip-

Gov. Granholm has faced down a considerable amount of adversity in the last four years, and has done it with aplomb.

She has the experience and the smarts. She is pragmatic and not an intractable ideologue.

On Nov. 7, send her back to Lansing to finish the job.

The Muskegon Chronicle really calls it like it is. The amazing thing is Dick wouldn't even meet with them.

We want a real fighter for our state, and in GOV. JENNIFER GRANHOLM, we've got one. The Muskegon Chronicle endorses her re-election to another four-year term.

The Democratic governor has kept Michigan together in the face of an enormous inherited budget deficit and a single-state economic hurricane caused by the meltdown of the Big 3 automotive manufacturers. She has advanced strong, intelligent economic plans, like her Jobs Today, Jobs Tomorrow program and her 21st Century Jobs Fund, despite the machinations of a largely hostile Republican Legislature.

-snip-

These "social issues," which include a potential reintroduction of the vouchers fight, the teaching of creationism in public school science classrooms (a lamentable idea which DeVos favors and Granholm doesn't) aren't the only areas of public policy in which the gulf between the candidates is as wide as the Grand Canyon. The Legislature in its most recent term irresponsibly, and without consulting the public, eliminated the Single Business Tax, punching a $1.9 billion hole in the state's general fund budget with no replacement. DeVos favors returning only half that lost revenue, and -- incredibly -- promises even deeper cuts in the budget by backing more tax losses.

Only Granholm stands between DeVos and Republicans so far to the right on the political spectrum that they would drown state government in a sea of program cuts -- which they are too cowardly to identify before the election.

Granholm has the heart of a fighter. She readily appeared before our editorial board to take on the tough questions any candidate must face in a close election.

DeVos, on the other hand, refused to meet with us. Among the questions we would have put to him is why he didn't make his full tax returns public, like Granholm has. This is standard operating procedure for gubernatorial candidates to put to rest concerns of any possible conflicts of interest.

Oh, well.

The Ludington Daily News, earlier this week, praised her economic plan- and laid into DeVos for his secrecy.

Her plan for the state’s economic future is on the right track, including a strong component of retraining the workforce and promoting higher education. In the end it’s having the best workforce that attracts employers. A look at the Daily News Help Wanted ads tells us there are jobs available, but they require special training. They’re in the health care field or require some other form of post-high-school certification. Gone are the days of knowing there’s a job for your child at the local plant after high school. Workers in other states realized this more quickly than in the heavy manufacturing state of Michigan. The state’s unemployment disaster came to a head during her tenure as governor (with a Republican Legislature), but it has been decades in the making.

-snip-

Granholm is a champion of Freedom of Information. Conversely, DeVos failed to answer Michigan Press Association questions about FOIA, leading us to assume he either doesn’t understand it, doesn’t acknowledge it’s importance (he comes from a private business historically entrenched in secrecy) or is afraid to have his views known before the election, none of which are acceptable answers to this advocate for keeping the public’s information public.

And again, it's early. Any more come in today and I will update later.

Saturday, October 28, 2006

Congratulations Tigers on a wonderful year

Be proud of your team, Detroit. From Mitch Albom-

Now, this will be said a million times in the next few days, but let's say it here first: It was a great ride. Nothing detracts from that. Baseball has risen from the dead in Detroit, and the Tigers have carried our sports hopes from spring to summer and summer to fall, giving us a nightly story and a daily conversation.

"I just hope people realize what this team accomplished coming from 71 wins," Leyland said. "And how hard it is just to get to the World Series."

How could they not?

This team gave us kids to talk about -- Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya and Curtis Granderson -- they gave us veterans rewriting their history -- Todd Jones and Kenny Rogers -- they gave us a walkoff home run to win the pennant and 23 shutout innings to make the old men feel like kids again. They gave us the quick, pesky guys like Placido Polanco and Carlos Guillen, and the beefy humor of Sean Casey and the fielding acrobatics of Brandon Inge and Pudge Rodriguez. For the first time in nearly 20 years, they made us remember their names.

What was best was the rekindling of an old feeling we thought we'd lost, like the sensation of riding a bike without holding the handles, like sledding down a big hill, like giggling with friends in the wee hours down in the basement. Kids stuff. The stuff of our youth -- a feeling we had in 1984 or 1968 but figured we would never feel again. Let's face it. The last time any of us enjoyed a World Series, the old were middle aged, the middle aged were just out of school, and the just out of school were just out of the womb.

Now we have a baseball team again. The Tigers may not be the world champs, but they are the American League pennant winners, and they are young and full of promise and they are coming back for more next April.

When looking at some lottery tickets this morning, a clerk at Meijers quipped, "Just like the Tigers... losers."

Wrong.

These guys are winners. Show a little gratitude people.

After all, you could be a Cubs fan.

Friday, October 27, 2006

Can $35 million buy you the Governor's office?

That is what we are going to find out.

Republican challenger Dick DeVos' campaign has raised more than $41 million, much of it his own money, according to campaign finance reports filed Friday. Democratic incumbent Jennifer Granholm's campaign reported nearing the $14 million mark.

Here is the number that blows my mind.

DeVos had contributed about $35 million of his own money as of Oct. 20.

So, $6 million came from outside sources. Jennifer has raised $14 million, more than twice what Dick has raised when it comes down to it. She still has $4 million on hand. Expect to see lots and lots of ads.

But you knew that anyway.

Senator Stabenow hits back on judges

A little love for Debbie for doing this. WTG Senator.

GRAND RAPIDS -- All or nothing.

That's U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow's position on three federal judge nominations made in a compromise with President George W. Bush.

One of three nominations, that of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet Neff of East Grand Rapids, is on hold. U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, halted her nomination after he learned Neff spoke four years ago at the commitment ceremony of a lesbian couple.

Bush nominated Neff along with attorney Robert Jonker of East Grand Rapids and Paul Maloney of Berrien County to serve in the U.S. District Court in West Michigan.

In the compromise to clear a logjam of judicial nominations, Stabenow and Sen. Carl Levin, D-Detroit, insisted on including Neff with the other two. All three had moved out of the Senate Judiciary Committee and were on their way to the full Senate before Brownback held up Neff.

Tuesday, Stabenow, D-Lansing, said if Neff's candidacy is scotched, the other nominations will be, too.

"It's a package," she said in a meeting with The Press editorial board. Stabenow is running against Republican Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard.

"It's time to take a stand" against nutjobs like Brownback who are just obsessed with gay people. This is ridiculous.

Enough is enough.

Updated Michigan Governor's Race Trends- Capital Viewpoint

This was such a pretty picture I had to steal it. Thanks go to Nirmal for doing all this work.

The blue line is Granholm, the red DeVos. Of course.

Five polls were done over approximately the same time period... for Granholm, they are showing almost a 10 point spread between them. It is a good sign that surveys are conducted over multiple days, to make sure that everyone who is "picked" eventually responds. This close to the election, people could be reacting to things that they see on TV on a day-to-day basis. This might account for some of the variation.

If anything, this is indicative that Granholm is continuing her lead and DeVos is continuing to lose support. This is supported by the increase in his unfavorability between last month and this month.

Still, given the variation in results its really tough to say.

So true. I think that most people have made up their minds by now, but as far as polls go- there are so many variables that play into results; the wording of the question, the breakdown of demos on respondents, on and on. I hope that between all of them we are seeing a true picture of what is happening out there.

Poll: Middle Class Voters Abandoning GOP

Take heed, Michigan.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The 2006 election is shaping up to be a repeat of 1994. This time, Democrats are favored to sweep Republicans from power in the House after a dozen years of GOP rule.

Less than two weeks before the Nov. 7 election, the latest Associated Press-AOL News poll found that likely voters overwhelmingly prefer Democrats over Republicans. They are angry at President Bush and the Republican-controlled Congress, and say Iraq and the economy are their top issues.

Single state recession? Why is the rest of the country so unhappy if that is true?

At the same time, fickle middle-class voters are embracing the Democratic Party and fleeing the GOP - just as they abandoned Democrats a dozen years ago and ushered in an era of Republican control.

"I don't think the Republican Party represents what I stand for. The guys I golf with, we're in the middle class, we're getting hurt," says Joseph Altland, 73, a retired teacher in York, Pa. He is a registered Republican but says he is considering becoming an independent.

Republican policy favors the wealthy only.

88.3% of the total benefits from Bush tax cuts went to people with incomes over $100,000. In addition, the total number of taxpayers who got a vast majority of the benefits represent only 12.71% of all taxpayers.

Do you really expect DeVos to be any different?

Really? Has he ever addressed the needs of the middle class or small business? His tax cuts target large corporations only. Stop and think about that.

Aside from the level of voter anger, the other dynamic that invites comparisons to 1994 is the attitude of middle-class voters - those earning less than $75,000 a year and who have graduated high school or have some college education.

In 1994, these voters deserted the Democrats in droves, helping Republicans capture dozens of Democratic-held House seats to seize control for the first time in decades.

Democrats recovered some of that lost ground in the following years, but they never fully regained their grasp on the middle class. In the intervening midterm elections, Democrats and Republicans split the House vote among middle-income and middle-education groups.

This fall, however, the AP-AOL News poll shows that Democrats have an advantage - in some cases in the double digits - among middle-class voters.

A majority of middle-class voters now favor Democrats to control the House and say that Democrats best represent their most closely held beliefs. They trust Democrats more than Republicans to handle the situation in Iraq, which most of them view as a mistake. The war is this voting group's most important issue. The economy and health care are close behind.

Republicans don't represent the people anymore. They represent those who can afford to buy them. People like DeVos who stand to make out big from his own tax cut policies.

America is waking up to this fact. Let's hope Michigan gets it, too.

Republicans for Granholm. Check it out. They make a lot of sense.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Another New Granholm Ad: The Economist

Granholm plays the "Mom" card and tells you where she stands.

Have you cleaned up your room?

EPIC Poll: Granholm 48%, DeVos 43%

More numbers. My head is swimming with numbers.

The poll, conducted exclusively for WOOD TV8 and our media partners, surveyed 600 people October 22-25, and has a margin of error of 4 percent.

When asked who they would vote for if the election were held today, 44 percent said Granholm, with another 4 percent leaning her way. DeVos received 37 percent with 6 percent leaning. Combined, Granholm holds a 48-43 edge, with 7 percent undecided.

That is a bit of a slip from the last poll where Granholm led 50-42. Once again, WOOD has the full script here.

Check out these questions- Granholm wins when asked on specifics, even on Dick's pet issue.

Who do you trust more to do what is right to improve Michigan's economy and provide more good paying jobs for Michigan residents in the future, [ROTATE] Governor Jennifer Granholm or Dick DeVos, the Republican candidate for Governor?

46% Governor Jennifer Granholm

41% Dick DeVos, the Republican candidate for Governor

1% Both equally (volunteered)

6% Neither (volunteered)

6% Undecided/don't know/refused

Who loves you, baby?

Which candidate for governor better understands the needs and concerns of a person like yourself [ROTATE] Dick DeVos or Jennifer Granholm?

48% Jennifer Granholm

37% Dick DeVos

6% Neither (volunteered)

1% Both (volunteered)

8% Undecided/don't know/refused

Which candidate for governor do you feel you know more about as a person [ROTATE] Dick DeVos or Jennifer Granholm?

47% Jennifer Granholm

29% Dick DeVos

13% Neither (volunteered)

8% Both (volunteered)

3% Undecided/don't know/refused

Which candidate for governor do you feel you know more about in terms of what their plans are for governor and what they would do if elected [ROTATE] Dick DeVos or Jennifer Granholm?

50% Jennifer Granholm

32% Dick DeVos

8% Neither (volunteered)

6% Both (volunteered)

4% Undecided/don't know/refused

The favorable/unfavorables numbers- Granholm 50-43 favorable, DeVos 48-40 unfavorable. 48% have an unfavorable opinion of Dick. Wow. That was second only to George Bush at 55%.

Stabenow has a big lead on EPIC, 50-38. 6% still don't know who Bouchard is, and keep in mind these are likely voters.

The Props-

Prop 2 -banning Affirmative action- "No" is leading 44-41.

Prop 3 -allowing the hunting mourning doves- "No" is leading by a whopping 66-25. Take that, Ted.

Prop 5- funding for the schools- when pressed, "Yes" is leading 43-40.

There you have it. And as Don Pardo says...until next time, if there IS a next time...

Granholm vs. DeVos- Interview with Heritage Newspapers

Heritage serves the southeastern part of Michigan. This is another compare and contrast interview- the same questions are put to both candidates. As with all the other interviews that have this format, Granholm has answers and DeVos has blame and platitudes.

I wanted to highlight the SBT answer because DeVos said something that I hadn't heard before- and I thought that Dick said he couldn't tell you his plan until he had access to the state figures.

How would you replace the revenue lost with the repeal of the Single Business Tax?

Granholm: The Republican Legislature took the irresponsible way out and has simply eliminated the Single Business Tax without first coming up with a plan. By doing so, they created a $1.9 billion hole in the state budget, which represents 20 percent of our general fund revenues. It is telling that a Wall Street credit agency downgraded Michigan's credit rating immediately after the Republicans voted to eliminate the SBT without a plan to protect the vital revenue it provides.

While I agree that the Single Business Tax must be repealed, I will not stand by and watch the tax shifted on to the backs of Michigan taxpayers. I want a guarantee from Republicans that no plan to replace the revenue from the business tax will increase taxes for citizens or slash funding for health care, education, or public safety.

I have proposed a plan to eliminate the Single Business Tax as we know it by lowering the tax rate, simplifying the tax and making it less payroll sensitive. My plan calls for a reduction in the corporate tax rate from 1.9 percent to 1.2 percent. It creates a manufacturing and research-and-development personal property tax credit to help our manufacturers and draw new high-tech companies to Michigan. It eliminates loopholes that allow some business to avoid the tax. I am the only candidate for governor who has put a plan to replace the SBT on the table.

DeVos: First, getting rid of the SBT will help to create jobs, which will actually help the budget. Second, I will replace the majority of the revenue with a broad-based business tax. Like other states, it will be centered on business profits and gross receipts. Simple and fair — it won't punish job creation. If you make more, you will pay more. I will not place the burden of additional taxes on Michigan families.

Also, I have already identified $800 million in waste and fraud that the state can cut out of its budget without harming education, health care, etc. That includes requiring a four-year time limit on welfare that would save $80 million the first year alone. The governor has opposed this measure and Michigan is one of only two states in the nation without a limit.

Here is the DeVos answer on the SBT in mid-August, courtesy of Skubick.

DeVos media mouthpiece John Truscott hammered home the point again after the GOP legislature wiped out the unpopular SBT on August 8th. He told an unsuspecting Detroit newspaper that the DeVos folks couldn't play the SBT replacement game because they didn't have the details from the state.

-snip-

In fact, Klein fired off a 55-page memo to the aforementioned Speaker Craig DeRoche with all the tax data one would ever need to draft a replacement for the SBT. And on top of that, while DeVos and company were crying crocodile tears over their inability to figure out their tax policies, yet another GOP source had the numbers since last June!

How is it that DeVos has identified $800 million when he said he didn't have the access to the details? And, would Dick like to tell us exactly what "waste and fraud" he has identified?

He didn't pull that number from the air. He has something specific in mind. And judging by his answer this time and other times, Dick's first action will be to attack the poor, the sick, and the elderly so he can give tax cuts to business. Preferably big business.

Dick won't tell you his plan, but he obviously has the numbers on those less fortunate souls down. They will be the first to go.

He put his priority right on display, and like the good Republican bully that he is, he goes after those that can't fight back. What a guy.

New Granholm Ad: A Bold New Future

I just get done complaining about all the ads, and what do they do? Release another ad. Well, I've come this far; I can't stop now. :-)

It's a bold new future. You can tell by the use of the brass in the upbeat music, and the Governor-on-the-go action shots.

I like positive. Maybe the frequency of these ads wouldn't be so annoying if they all were this way.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

SurveyUSA Poll- Granholm 52, DeVos 45

Polls, polls, polls. Love seeing that 50% mark.

In an election for Governor of Michigan today, 10/25/06, incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm defeats Republican challenger Dick DeVos by 7 points, 52% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for WDIV-TV Detroit, WZZM-TV Grand Rapids and WDIO-TV Duluth.

Duluth? Are we taking over Duluth? I don't remember that as part of the 21st Century Jobs plan. Don't we have to conquer Wisconsin first?

(Yes, I know that is polling the western UP. Just kidding.)

Granholm leads by 15 among women. DeVos leads by 2 among men. DeVos leads by 4 among whites. Granholm leads by 74 among blacks. Granholm leads by 51 in Wayne County. DeVos leads by 7 in the Detroit suburbs. The race is tied elsewhere.

And on the Senate side- Stabenow 51 Bouchard 44

In an election for United States Senate in Michigan today, 10/25/06, incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow defeats Republican challenger Mike Bouchard 51% to 44%, according to a SurveyUSA poll conducted exclusively for WDIV-TV Detroit, WZZM-TV Grand Rapids and WDIO-TV Duluth. Compared to an identical SurveyUSA tracking poll released 10/9/06, Stabenow is down 2, Bouchard is up 2.

A little slip for Stabenow.

The rest of the results- Cox 53% Williams 38%. My mind keeps repeating...

"Mike Cox- MARINE!"

...and has been playing that over and over today, with visions of the AG office under assault from... oh, I don't know, the Canadians or something.

And Prop 2 still confuses the hell out of everybody-

37% 'Certain' Yes

35% 'Certain' No

28% Not Certain

Well folks, you have less than two weeks to figure it out. Better hit the books.

DeVos and the MI-GOP on stem cell research

This post is from last month, but the issue has suddenly caught fire due to the national exposure from the Michael J. Fox ad. For those of us who grew up with Michael, it's quite a powerful piece of video. (He is only four years older than me.)

Sorry for the repeat, but it's time to remind Michigan voters where DeVos and the current leaders of the Michigan Republican Party stand on this issue.

Yesterday Governor Granholm called on the legislature once again to act on lifting the restrictions on stem cell research in Michigan.

"The promise of stem cell research is allowing talented researchers and businesses around the world to develop cures for devastating diseases," Granholm said. "By lifting the decades-old restrictions on stem cell research, the cures that could have tremendous impact on the lives of Michigan citizens who live with these illnesses could be developed right here in our own backyard."

But as long as DeVos controls Republicans with his money, it will never happen. Better to throw them out this Nov. 7th and make sure this gets done.

From Sept. 20th-

Dick DeVos and the MI-GOP oppose embryonic stem cell reasearch, a position currently at odds with 73% of Michigan.

Since the Republicans in our legislature act under the orders of Right to Life (70 of 110 endorsed) and the Michigan Catholic Conference while they ignore the rest of the people, a new group formed recently might be part of the answer to getting the harsh restrictions on embryonic stem cell research lifted and so we can join and compete with the rest of the country in this field.

While this group may help educate people, the real answer lies in making sure that DeVos does not become governor and electing legislators that will act on the needs of the people of Michigan.

LANSING, Mich. -- Cathy Coury looks forward to the day when researchers may find a cure for the juvenile diabetes that makes her young sons' lives a constant round of insulin shots and blood-sugar monitoring.

On Monday, she joined with researchers from the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, elected officials and policy makers to formally kick off a bipartisan group, Michigan Citizens for Stem Cell Research and Cures, that plans to make the case that Michigan's tough restriction on embryonic stem cell research is blocking important medical gains and hurting the state's economy.

"I want to know researchers are out there exploring every option," said Coury, who lives in Grand Rapids and is the legislative chairwoman of the West Michigan Juvenile Diabetes Foundation.

The stem cell advocacy group doesn't plan to endorse any lawmakers or any specific legislation. But it does hope to make its case with the public that the state is losing out on potential cures and economic benefits by restricting embryonic stem cell research.

Perhaps it should endorse lawmakers and legislation. After all, if Dick DeVos were to become governor, the group's goals have no chance at success. DeVos is opposed to this potential life saving research.

DeVos opposes embryonic stem cell research, although he supports research on adult stem cells.

Another dodge from Dick, trying to make his position palatable- adult stem cells don't carry the same potential. This is the exact same position as the Right to Life and Bush. From a story on the Bush veto earlier this year-

Right to Life of Michigan, which supports the Bush veto, said researchers could concentrate on treatments using adult stem cells -- those obtained from the umbilical cords of newborns or donors for cancer patients.

And those fun folks in Lansing play along with this gambit, passing an adult stem cell bill in the House recently while ignoring and/or blocking bills for embryonic cell research, much to the dismay of Andy Meisner and other Democrats.

The Michigan Catholic Conference, part of the one-two punch that controls our Republican legislature, seems to think that this group is the beginning of a potential ballot issue for 2008.

Michigan Catholic Conference spokesman Dave Maluchnik said Monday that he thinks embryonic stem cell advocates, finding themselves stymied by the Legislature, will try to take the issue to Michigan voters.

"I think the process today began a ballot campaign for 2008 on this issue," he said.

They also try the "adult" bit.

Maluchnik said current research on adult stem cells is finding cures without having to use embryonic stem cells.

"We have a message of being positive and wanting to find cures as well, and we think we can do that through adult stem cells," he said.

They keep saying that, and the doctors and researchers keep telling them they are wrong.

Who do you believe, the people who do this for a living, or the people who have a religious agenda? Let's hear from Joe Schwarz, who was part of the news conference today-

Schwarz, an ear, nose and throat specialist, disputed that. He said embryonic stem cells can foster more cures than adult stem cells or umbilical cord stem cells.

And a researcher-

Sean Morrison, director of the University of Michigan Center for Stem Cell Biology, agreed with Schwarz that embryonic stem cell research offers potential medical advancements that adult stem cell research does not. He warned about legislating "out of ignorance and misinformation."

And another-

"Because of the unique properties of embryonic stem cells, we just can't expect the same range of benefits from using adult stem cells," said Dr. Ed Nieshoff, a spinal cord injury research scientist at the Michigan Rehabilitation Institute in Detroit. He called the veto "a tremendous setback not only for Michigan but the nation."

Scientists and companies are leaving Michigan to go to states where the laws won't restrict their progress.

Yet despite the cause for optimism, and the weight and resources of one of the nation's top research institutions behind it, the program, just 2 years old, has already lost some of its top scientists to other states.

They have gone to states such as California, where last year 59 percent of voters gave the OK to $3 billion in public funding for embryonic stem cell research over the next 10 years.

"There are companies that have come out of the University of Michigan and gone to California," Sean Morrison, the new director for U-M's Center for Stem Cell Biology, said Friday at a conference for journalists at the university.

Craig DeRoche doesn't care.

Matt Resch, spokesman for House Speaker Craig DeRoche, R-Novi, said stem cell research hasn't been an issue in the Legislature and shouldn't necessarily be thought of in terms of economic benefit.

Granholm has a petition, go sign now! - but I doubt it will get anywhere unless you fire your local Republican this November.

Time to clean House!

Michigan Democratic Party Ad: Healthcare

New ad from the MDP.

You are tired of ads, I know. I am too.

If you watch any kind of local news, you are hit with ad after ad after ad of, "Did so! Did not! He did that, can you believe she did this, she didn't do that, he supports that, Michigan sucks, sucks, sucks and we will lose EVERYTHING if this continues, and oh my God, the world is going to END if we elect so-and so, and whatever you do, don't shoot the birds, you horrible person you!"

It's no wonder people don't like politicians; they obviously are responsible for every bad thing that happens in this country as they work on a daily basis to DESTROY us all.

All that being said, I like this new ad from the MDP, just as I liked Granholm's ad on choice. It's quiet, it's effective, it's truthful, and nobody is whining at me.

LANSING- Today the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) unveiled a new television ad on Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos titled "Care". The ad, which begins airing statewide today, shows how DeVos has no plan for making health care more accessible or affordable to Michigan citizens. DeVos' only plan for health care is to "get a job." Governor Jennifer M. Granholm proposed the revolutionary Michigan First Health Care Plan that will, for the first time, provide access to affordable health care for all citizens in Michigan. Negotiations with the federal government are on track to implement the program in April, 2007.

The Detroit News just did a story outlining the differences between the candidates on this issue, and they point to health care as being one of the reasons that Michigan is at a huge disadvantage when it comes to competing with foreign car manufacturers.

Put simply, the high cost of health care hurts job creation and retention, which is the number one issue in this campaign. The two go hand in hand.

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is seeking federal approval for a universal health care plan in Michigan. Republican challenger Dick DeVos says the surest way to increase the number of insured is to increase the number of jobs in the state.

In reality, economic and health care issues are inextricably linked.

For example, the cost of health care benefits adds $1,525 to the price of a General Motors-made automobile, putting the Michigan car giant at a competitive disadvantage with foreign auto companies whose health care tab is picked up by the government.

The declining market share of domestic automakers is usually given as the No. 1 reason Michigan's economy is in trouble.

A main component of the "jobs" issue is totally ignored by the "jobs maker" DeVos. "More jobs" doesn't address the rising costs of health care, and furthermore he still hasn't told us how he will create "more jobs" in the first place.

I have blogged extensively about this issue this year- and I'm getting to the point where I feel everything I say is redundant. If you want to read further, here are some links-

An interview with Industry Week has DeVos repeating the same talking points and offering no solid plans.

During the 3rd debate Granholm challenged DeVos to tell what his plan was, and DeVos just attacked her as usual, offering no ideas of his own.

The Detroit News ran a great series on health care back in September, this post highlights just how serious and expensive the problem is.

And if that isn't enough- go way back to the beginning of February where Dick casually said he would look at eliminating Medicaid, just like his good buddy Matt Blunt did in Missouri. At the time I said, "My guess is that he will back off of this, not answer questions, run his smear campaign", and lo and behold I was right. He backed off of that statement a few days later, but to this very day he still uses the same phrases that Matt Blunt used as an excuse for throwing thousands off of Medicaid, that being "waste, fraud and abuse". Dick's "plan" includes scrutinizing the poor, which, guess what!, will send them to the emergency rooms and drive up your costs again.

DeVos has no plan. Granholm does. Your choice, Michigan.

St. Louis 5, Detroit 0- Tigers pick bad time for bats to go cold

If these guys don't start hitting they won't see the inside of Comerica except to clean out their lockers when they come home.

ST. LOUIS -- The only thing colder than the Tigers' bats was the temperature at Busch Stadium for Game 3 of the World Series Tuesday night.

And if they don't get hot sooner rather than later, the World Series will be over for the Tigers quicker than anyone could have expected.

And the end result won't be what most expected it would be when this thing first started.

The Tigers, best described as feeble at the plate, lost 5-0 to the St. Louis Cardinals before a sellout crowd of 46,513. They now trail this best-of-seven series, 2-1.

Coming into the game, where the game-time temperature was 43 degrees, Curtis Granderson (0-for-9), Placido Polanco (0-for-7) and Ivan Rodriguez (0-for-8) were all hitless in the World Series. None of them were able to change that in Game 3 and they are now a combined 0-for-34.

Cub-killer Pudge is breakin' my heart here. C'mon boys, snap out of it tonight!

Tuesday, October 24, 2006

Rasmussen: Granholm 54% DeVos 43%

Rasmussen- dey maka you pay, so I'm going to steal the write-up from Michigan Liberal.

Pollster.com (look in the "Most Recent Polls" ticker) shows Governor Granholm with an 11-point Rasmussen lead. Presumably the full poll will be released soon. The last Rasmussen showed the Governor with a 7-point lead.

No doubt about it. The momentum is still going strong. But there's no time to rest. Don't forget who we're dealing with. And there'll be plenty of time for sleep two weeks from today!

And don't forget she had this kind of lead on Posthumus, too- and that turned out to be a 4 pt. spread in the end.

Get back to work. All of you. Right now.

UPDATE: Links to the official Rasmussen release.

Granholm 53, DeVos 42 Independents breaking for Granholm.

Stabenow 53, Bouchard 39. Go Debbie go! We will deal with you later.

Strategic Vision October Poll: Granholm 47 DeVos 43

Thanks go out to Nirmal for pointing this poll out. Wish we could get an EPIC.

If the election for Governor were held today, whom would you vote for Jennifer Granholm, the Democrat or Dick DeVos, the Republican?

Jennifer Granholm 47%

Dick DeVos 43%

Undecided 10%

The undecideds seem awful high compared to other polls. Last month SV had Granholm leading 47-46 with 7 undecided- seems to indicate that DeVos has lost ground and Granholm is just holding steady.

This question is intriguing-

Do you approve or disapprove of President Bush's handling of the economy?

Approve 25%

Disapprove 66%

Undecided 9%

So why would Michigan even consider electing DeVos, who has the same tax cut "plan" for the economy as Bush?

Things that make you go "hmmmmm."

Stabenow's race is narrowing like I thought it would, but not by much.

If the election for United States Senate were held today, whom would you vote for Debbie Stabenow, the Democrat or Mike Bouchard, the Republican?

Debbie Stabenow 48%

Mike Bouchard 42%

Undecided 10%

Last month 51-44 Stabenow, and again the undecideds jump. Very odd.

Nirmal has a graph on the trend lines here.

Where is Fast Eddie when you need him? ;-)

NFL Week 7 Results: Not a Pretty Picture

Cincinnati 17, Carolina 14

N.Y. Jets 31, Detroit 24

Green Bay 34, Miami 24

Houston 27, Jacksonville 7

New England 28, Buffalo 6

Tampa Bay 23, Philadelphia 21

Atlanta 41, Pittsburgh 38 (OT)

Kansas City 30, San Diego 27

Denver 17, Cleveland 7

Oakland 22, Arizona 9

Minnesota 31, Seattle 13

Indianapolis 36, Washington 22

N.Y. Giants 36 Dallas 22

7-6. And I'll say it again, stupid Eagles, but yea! for my Bucs.

Monday, October 23, 2006

Rising star Obama weighs White House run

The thought of this literally gives me chills. Talk about an electric candidate. The "left" has some problems with his moderate views, but, face it, we probably won't get Feingold anyway. And I don't think anyone can stop the juggernaut that will be Hillary.

I could easily see a Clinton - Obama ticket.

WASHINGTON - Sen. Barack Obama acknowledged Sunday he was considering a run for president in 2008, backing off previous statements that he would not do so.

The Illinois Democrat said he could no longer stand by the statements he made after his 2004 election and earlier this year that he would serve a full six-year term in Congress. He said he would not make a decision until after the Nov. 7 elections.

"That was how I was thinking at that time," said Obama, when asked on NBC's "Meet the Press" about his previous statements.

"Given the responses that I've been getting over the last several months, I have thought about the possibility" although not with the seriousness or depth required, he said. "My main focus right now is in the '06. ... After November 7, I'll sit down, I'll sit down and consider, and if at some point I change my mind, I will make a public announcement and everybody will be able to go at me."

The media will now be all over this guy. Whatever he decides, he will bring an intelligent and thoughtful voice to the '08 campaign- even if he doesn't go for the nomination this time around.

About those kids in the political commercials...

Another DeVos flip-flop. I wasn't going to go here until the press did, and well, the press did... so here it is.

The daughters of U.S. Senate candidate Mike Bouchard and gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos, both Republicans, have appeared in campaign commercials to help humanize their dads.

Mikayla Bouchard, a 17-year-old Brooke Shields look-alike, got it started when she told viewers that her dad was a commonsense conservative, who tended to be a bit of a drag when he tagged along on her dates.

Elissa DeVos, a 22-year-old stunner, made her debut last week with a cheery and resounding endorsement of her dad.

And doesn't she look like Mom? I see a young Betsy DeVos when I look at her.

Just a mere month ago Dick had a different opinion regarding his kids and the campaign.

DeVos said his 15 months of campaigning have been interesting and eye-opening.

The one downside, he said, has been exposing his four children, ages 15 to 24, to the "viciousness of criticism."

"The bitterness in the political process is hurtful to kids," he said. "But I have no regrets. For the most part, the people of Michigan have been gracious, and I've been able to see and learn."

But when you are down 20 pts. in the polls on women, it's time to trot those kids right out there and put them on display.

Something tells me the DeVos kids can take it.

Sorry, Dick, you don't get to bemoan the process in one breath and then use them as props in the next.

DETROIT 3, ST. LOUIS 1

They survived what I like to call a "Cubs ninth"- two out, two strikes on the batter, and then the other team proceeds to load the bases. Been there, done that.

What a game!

On Sunday night, Rogers pitched eight scoreless innings for the Tigers' first World Series win since 1984. He allowed two hits and -- after Todd Jones survived a scary ninth inning -- notched a 3-1 win over the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 2 at Comerica Park. The Series is tied, 1-1, as it heads to St. Louis' new Busch Stadium for three games.

And about the ninth...

Jones retired the first two hitters of the ninth, then allowed a single and booted what should have been a game-ending comebacker by former Tiger Juan Encarnacion.

After the error, Jones allowed Jim Edmonds' bloop RBI double, which put the potential tying run at second. Jones hit Preston Wilson with a pitch to load the bases before Yadier Molina grounded into a shortstop-to-second base force-out.

Rogers was amazing.

For the second straight start, Rogers allowed two hits, both singles, one on the infield. For the second straight start, he allowed a runner past first base only in the first inning. Encarnacion ended the first with a comebacker. Rogers, who had never won a postseason game before this month, has pitched 23 innings this postseason, and in most of them hasn't come close to allowing a run.

And guess who was at the game?

An appropriately dressed Gov. Jennifer Granholm -- blue "Detroit" windbreaker and Tigers cap -- was spotted as well, down on the stadium's lowest level near the ballfield.

Saturday was Repub night, Sunday was Dem night.

So Republicans DeVos and senatorial candidate Mike Bouchard on Saturday night, and Democrats Granholm and Sen. Debbie Stabenow Sunday night -- did the politicos get together and divvy up the Series or something? Did we miss the memo?

The Detroit News has missed a lot of memos, so my guess is yes.

Go Tigers!

Sunday, October 22, 2006

NFL Week 7... and a warning for the Tigers

Carolina at Cincinnati

Detroit at N.Y. Jets

Green Bay at Miami

Jacksonville at Houston

New England at Buffalo

Philadelphia at Tampa Bay

Pittsburgh at Atlanta

San Diego at Kansas City

Denver at Cleveland

Arizona at Oakland

Minnesota at Seattle

Washington at Indianapolis

N.Y. Giants at Dallas

Open date: Baltimore, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, St. Louis, Tennessee

St. Louis 7, Tigers 2

And now a word about the Tigers and baseball superstition.

I have posted before that I wanted both candidates to stay away from the baseball team, but when they both started to embrace the Tigers, I figured any bad mojo from that would balance out, right?

Until last night. Now we have proved who brings the curse.

Dick DeVos stood outside Comerica Park on Saturday with his wife, Betsy, and their four kids, greeting Tigers fans -- who also might be potential voters -- and handing out T-shirts bearing his name.

The shirts bear the candidate's name, but the D in DeVos had been transformed into the Old English D that also graces the uniforms of Detroit's newest heroes.

-snip-

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is in the same boat. She wasn't at Saturday's game, but hopes to get to at least one of them.

DeVos was there, Granholm was not.

Hope he is busy tonight... or Granholm might have to catch a game in St. Louis when Dick puts us deep in the hole. ;-)

Major press endorsements for Granholm start to roll in

Last week the three right-wing papers in the state endorsed DeVos, and those endorsements conveniently showed up in a TV ad a few days later. Coincidence? Hard to believe.

Something tells me that Granholm is going to be able to produce a bigger list. This morning we hear from Detroit, Saginaw and Lansing.

Do press endorsements really mean all that much anymore in the face of 24/7 instant news? Probably not. They are pretty predictable- it's only when they go outside their usual editorial stance do they really garner notice.

But still, the following papers point out that DeVos has not produced his plans and has relied on "vague" and "fuzzy" ideas- and it's about time the press calls him out on it. I wonder why they waited until their endorsement.

Let's start with the big one- The Detroit Free Press-

"FREE PRESS EDITORIAL: Our choice: Granholm

Gov. JENNIFER GRANHOLM is the best candidate to lead the state through this difficult transition. The Detroit Free Press endorses Democrat Granholm for a second four-year term. She is a dynamic leader who is pushing Michigan in all the right directions against formidable economic and political forces.

Dick DeVos, her Republican opponent, has spent personal millions to wage a tireless campaign against the governor and in this, his first major race, established himself as a credible political figure. He has a number of good ideas (such as?), but also a lot of ambitious plans with vague financial details and a history that suggests he'd try to take Michigan hard to the right, further dividing a state that already has too many fractures for its own good.

The Lansing State Journal-

"Governor: Granholm's positive approach beats DeVos' vague plans"

Gov. Jennifer Granholm and her Republican challenger, businessman Dick DeVos, have built their campaigns around the central claim that they are best equipped to revive Michigan's economy. There are far more issues on the plate for the state's next chief executive, but jobs come before everything.

And, on point after point, it's Granholm with the better plan for Michigan's revival. We endorse Jennifer Granholm for a second term as Michigan's governor.

-snip-

He backs a massive business tax cut via the elimination and only partial replacement of the Single Business Tax. He also wants to shed the personal property tax for businesses; again with some type of vague, partial replacement.

No one is thrilled by taxes. But DeVos, like his erstwhile GOP allies in the Legislature, can't show how Michigan would provide critical services without these taxes. And full repeal of the SBT and the personal property tax represents more than $3 billion for state, school and local government accounts.

All governments can run more efficiently. But taking billions out of public services isn't reforming government, it's deconstructing it.

LSJ gives us a very strong point to consider at the end, one that has been touched on briefly here and there, and that is the thought that the legislature will remain Republican due to gerrymandering. I hope they are wrong, but if they are right...

Voters should ask themselves: Do they want the executive and legislative branches in the hands of one party, or split between the two major parties?

Politically divided government might not be efficient, but it is an excellent way to temper partisan extremes. Michigan, as a state, is not politically radical. It has elected a mix of liberal Democrats, conservative Republicans and plenty of folks in between.

That's the point - it's been a mix, not a single vision, a single ideology.

Granholm's first term has been difficult. But her willingness to invest in Michigan, her belief that Michigan can excel, and her preference for compromise and moderation over uncertain alternatives make her the clear choice for governor.

The Saginaw News-

"Jennifer Granholm for governor"

We openly concede that our choice for governor in 2006 is a provincial embrace. All politics are local, as the political dictum goes, and more than ever Saginaw requires a leader in Lansing who understands the needs of one of the most economically challenged areas in the most economically depressed state.

So when it comes to deciding Tuesday, Nov. 7, between Republican Dick DeVos and Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm, the choice for us is simple -- if not easy.

Gov. Granholm understands the Saginaw region's problems and has worked diligently with Saginaw Future Inc. and other economic development agencies to help address the region's needs. Her attention on the Interstate 675 downtown ramp, a pair of "Cool Cities" projects, Hemlock Semiconductor's expansion and a host of other smaller projects are evidence of her commitment.

DeVos' fuzzy stance on issues facing Saginaw and the Interstate 75 corridor makes it impossible for us to support the businessman in his bid for governor. He would eliminate Granholm's "Cool Cities" initiative, but he hasn't said how he would help Michigan's cities. When pressed by The Saginaw News Editorial Board to discuss how he could assist the region, his pat response was that he would be governor "for all of Michigan."

They go on to really rake DeVos over the coals for being out of touch with the Saginaw area, but they also wag their finger a few times at Granholm as they endorse her.

Michigan's challenge -- and Saginaw's challenge -- demands a long-term strategy that helps the state move from its century-old emphasis on the auto industry as an economic engine. That kind of change takes time, and Granholm has started Michigan down a more promising path.

That's not to say that Granholm hasn't made mistakes in her first term. She should have tempered her initial reaction to Delphi's announcement that it intended to close or sell U.S. plants, including some in mid-Michigan. Rather than criticize business and industry for positioning themselves to compete, the governor must continue to reach out and work with employers who want to create jobs in Michigan. She was slow to react to the global forces that created Michigan's economic fall.

That last bit of crticism is unfounded. The "global forces" can be traced all the way back to the 70's or earlier, and I'm not sure how she was supposed to "react" when she was busy fixing the budget. But, whatever-

In the end, however, we trust

JENNIFER M. GRANHOLM more to reach out to areas such as Saginaw as the state adjusts to new, painful economic realities. We endorse her for a second term.

These are the ones that are up so far- this early not all the papers have their editions online yet. If (when) I find more I will update this post.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

New Granholm Ad: It's Time to Take a Stand

Watch as my Governor grabs this issue by the throat.

Voice over: "Jennifer Granholm personally opposes abortion. But Jennifer Granholm believes that this deeply personal and private decision should be made by a woman and her doctor, and not by politicians.

Dick DeVos takes an extreme position. Dick DeVos wants to make almost all abortions a crime, even when a woman has been the victim of a rape or incest.

The difference is clear. It’s time to take a stand."

And take a stand she does... this has to be one of the gutsiest political moves I have ever seen.

Thank you, Governor. Just... thank you.

Poll: 74 percent of Americans say Congress out of touch

Hat tip to Americablog for pointing this out- inlcuded in this poll was a very big warning to the state of Michigan.

Respondents also were asked whether "big business" has too much influence over decisions made by the Bush administration.

Seventy-nine percent of those surveyed in the new Opinion Research poll said they feel big business does have too much influence over the administration's decisions. The poll comes after a congressional lobbying scandal and questions about White House ties to the Halliburton Co., a key U.S. contractor in the Iraq war.

The percentage of people who feel the administration is overly influenced by corporations is up 10 percentage points from a poll conducted in April 2001, a few months after Bush became president.

The answer for our state does not lie in electing another Bush Republican "businessman". Don't make the same mistake the country has made- if you do you will see the friends of DeVos grow richer while the general public continues to struggle to get by.

How is the Bush economy working out for you?

Friday, October 20, 2006

Reporter confronts DeVos on his non-specific answers

Thanks go out to the Granholm campaign who caught this clip of Dick dancing on the issue of his "non-answer" answers during the third debate.

Thanks also to the reporter who dared ask the question- it's about time someone did.

Here is the transcription of the clip-

Reporter: Let me go through a quick little list here. People from the audience asked you questions about college tuition, health care, trash, K-12 education, auto union jobs... one person even asked about revitalizing Detroit.

Your answers, did not focus on what you would do, instead your answers focused on why... why the Governor failed.

DeVos: Uh... my answers... I gave specific answers to every one of the questions as to what I would do and then contexted it by pointing out the Governor's failures... and... so I've given both sides.

Reporter: Do you want me to go back to the tape because honestly sir, that's not what you did.

DeVos: Go right ahead...

(cross-talk, hard to pick up)

DeVos:...go right ahead, go right ahead... go right ahead and check it out. I answered every...I answered the questions, with my plan, and then spoke to where the Governor has failed.

Reporter: OK. Because in all sincerity, I mean, on all those issues, the only issue that I heard you make mention of specifics was on the replacement for the SBT.

And he didn't even answer that. Go read the transcript.

DeVos: No, that's not correct. I spoke about specifically about those answers to every one of the questions. Go back and review it.

Reporter: Give me one, give me one... give me one quick sample, you pick one and you speak about it... college tuition... I apologize for my hand writing... college tuition, health care, this right here is about trash, K-12, give me an example...

DeVos: I talked about the downtown revitalization. I talked about my plan for downtown revitalization and gave very specific answers.

Reporter: OK. Alright. I will look at the tape and compare it...

Here is Dick's "specific" answer on revitalizing Detroit, courtesy of the transcript of the debate from the Granholm people.

DeVos: Education. We've got to get our education systems right in the city of Detroit, ultimately, for our kids. The governor stood by, while par- while fam-, while, while administrators and teachers argued in the classrooms and our kids had to sit in the street. That's not going to get us, that's not going to move us forward. This Governor cut revenue sharing, has cut revenue sharing consistently for the city of Detroit and putting great pressure on this great city. Detroit must come back. I've said the renaissance of Michigan will not be complete until the renaissance of this city and I mean that absolutely. That's why we have to move forward on mass transit. The Governor's made no progress- promises, but no progress. Once again lots of promises, not progress in mass transit. We need job creation. Slow, medium sized businesses in particular. They don't get grants. They just need an environment where they can grow their business. They just need access to capital. I know all about that. I've been there. We need to get those businesses going and get those jobs started for our city and our community. And we've got to get after the crime issue, we've got to get after the crime issue. Safety is a huge problem. We need a safe community.

There you have it. Education. Revenue sharing. Mass transit. Jobs. Crime.

You tell me- what, specifically, did Dick say he would do about any of those issues? Did he tell you how he would address any of these issues, or get the funds to pay for his plans?

He pointed out all the problems, sure. And he blamed the Governor, unjustly, on all of them. You could reference and research and understand every single issue on his list, but that is beside the point.

The point is: He never answers the question as to what he would do.

If you read the transcripts of these debates, and of the interviews he has given, you will see the same pattern over and over again.

Finally someone in the media spoke up. What took them so long?

Tigers to face Cardinals in World Series

As a Cubs fan, now I have extra incentive to root for the Tigs. We hate us some Cardinals, booooo- they are the root of all evil. Really. Trust me on this.

NEW YORK (AP) - The St. Louis Cardinals beat the New York Mets 3-to-1 to win the National League Championship Series in seven games.

Yadier Molina's two-run home run in the top of the ninth broke a 1-1 tie and sent the Cardinals to the World Series for the second time in the last three seasons.

The Cardinals will play the Detroit Tigers starting Saturday night in the Motor City. It's the same teams who met in the 1934 and 1968 World Series.

The Cubs crushed the Cards in head-to-head play this year- and if they can do it, the Tigers should certainly be able to do it also.

Let's go TIGERS!

Republican robocalls against Granholm escalate

Are we getting muddy yet? DeVos denies the charges, of course, but one only has to look at his TV ads to see where these scripts are coming from- the calls carry the same sentiment of "disappointment" and supposed broken promises. The DeVos family also has a long track record of doing things such as this- it's to the point where it becomes hard to believe that they are not behind it.

Unlisted phone number, caller ID. It's the only way. I haven't received a robocall in years.

Some Michiganders were angry Thursday about recorded phone messages slamming Gov. Jennifer Granholm.

One, which appears to have been mostly received on Wednesday, used slightly vulgar language and triggered dozens of angry follow-up phone calls to the campaign of Granholm's challenger, Dick DeVos, and the Michigan Republican Party. Both said they had nothing to do with it and don't know who did.

The offending recording is of a woman's voice criticizing Granholm for "empty promises" and ends with the woman exclaiming, "Frankly, I'm pissed."

The message closes with: "This message is brought to you by Michigan Working Families."

Mike Essenmacher of Walled Lake said the message, along with six other political robocalls, was on his home phone when he and his wife returned after three days away.

"I was very annoyed by the whole thing. That kind of language is inexcusable," he said. Essenmacher said his wife spent several hours on the phone Thursday trying to track down the culprit but has been unsuccessful so far.

DeVos spokesman John Truscott said the campaign has distributed automated recordings of DeVos family members, Lt. Gov. candidate Ruth Johnson and Lee Iacocca in recent days. But all are readily recognized as DeVos-sponsored messages, he said.

Michigan Liberal has a repository of some of these calls, along with pictures of some of the nasty campaign fliers distributed by the Michigan Republicans. And let's not forget what happened outside the debate Monday night.

It's pretty easy to see where this stuff is coming from- all you have to do is listen to the rhetoric coming from the DeVos campaign. Same message. And what ever happen to the Mongo flap with the ad comparing Granholm to Hitler?

Dick and Betsy have a history of nasty campaigning. Back in July I wrote a piece that highlighted the work of Betsy against fellow Republicans that had dared to go up against her on voucher/charter school issues- she slimed them with fliers just like the ones that are being sent out today. They also are running into a bit of trouble in Wisconsin where one ad was pulled and a group has filed a complaint with the State Elections Board about a flier that was sent out in a local Senate race. These are just a few examples- I'm sure there are more out there.

If it walks like a ~~Dick~~ duck and talks like a duck...

Smear and fear. It's the only thing the Republicans have to sell.

Listen to the robocall here. Thanks go to Matt for putting up the collection, and thanks to the poster who sent it to me in the first place- much appreciated!

Thursday, October 19, 2006

Democrats rally in Grand Rapids

David LaGrand, SD29 candidate, checked in at Michigan Liberal today- here is his post and some pictures from the rally on Cherry Street.

Hi all. David LaGrand checking in. Things are going great on the campaign trail, other than my growing frustration at not being able to be in two or three or ten places at the same time. That, and what Matt has pointed out so well- the issues in my race are not really getting the attention we would like from Bill Hardiman or the traditional media. I'll go anywhere, any time to talk about our hopes and ideas for the future, but as far as I can see the Republicans only have one tool in their tool box- tax cuts.

So that you all know, Bill Hardiman has now cancelled on two debates in a row with me, which means I've been debating an empty chair. I too had seen the Hardiman-Bush team shots that you've posted. Around town what I see are a few billboards that don't mention his party affiliation, and some lit with shots of him and Jennifer Granholm. When an incumbent Republican is going out of his way to give people the vauge sense that he's a Democrat it's hard to escape hope that the times may be a- changin'.

As I write this I have a flock of people out walking, who I have to join, before I go to a rally with the Governor, before I go back to walking until dark. If we're going to win this one, we're going to win it on the ground and on the blogs, not on Fox TV. Peace, David.

David is a very nice guy- I've talked to him a few times now and he seems very genuine and down to earth. I feel like he would be a great legislator, sure would beat Haridman- get out and vote for him, GR!

Left to right: Granholm, David LaGrand and Michael Sak.

LaGrand and Sak before the Governor arrived.

My Governor rocks. :-) Send her some money so she can fight the big meanies.

Verio Data Centers and campaign data mining:

Time to say something about this, just as an interesting tidbit to all you young bloggers out there who are blogging on politics.

Someone at Verio Data Centers in San Diego is mining every single thing I say about this campaign. They have hit here at least once a week- one time they spent a whole hour going through everything. They were using the search term "Granholm". Here is today's list-

And it goes on from there, looking at every post on this race. One time they grabbed all the links to the Michigan bloggers I have over on the left.

In my head, I hear the Violent Femmes singing "I hope you know this will go down on your permanent record". I don't much care about that, though.

Verio does data storage- for the government, for private clients, etc. It might even be the Granholm campaign doing the mining, I don't know.

Just thought I'd let y'all know- you are being watched. I'm rather flattered, actually.

IndustryWeek : The 2006 Elections: Granholm - DeVos interview

Industry Week asked both candidates the same questions and lined them up side by side. I have not seen a better example of the differences between the two- Granholm addresses the issues honestly and clearly, talking about plans, while DeVos can rattle off nothing but talking points. For example, here is the question on health care-

IW: How do you plan to address business leaders concerns about the cost and scope of health-care coverage in your state?

DeVos: The cost of health-care coverage is a serious concern for business leaders. One thing I've suggested is allowing for increased pooling of health care coverage to lower costs for our small businesses who often have difficult times providing coverage to their workers. Also, we must work to reduce fraud and increase efficiency in Medicare, which has costs that are borne by all of us.

Health care is expensive! Maybe we can pool it! But first, we must make sure that we go after those poor people first, just like they did in Missouri!

Granholm has a solid plan, one that will get people access to health care and that will lower the costs for all, business and consumers alike.

IW: How do you plan to address business leaders concerns about the cost and scope of health-care coverage in your state?

Granholm: We need national solutions to combat skyrocketing health-care costs, but so far the Bush administration has offered no help. As governor, I know affordable health care is critical to our competitive business climate, which is why I have been fighting to make access to affordable health-care coverage universal for all of Michigan's people. My Michigan First Health Care Plan will make affordable private health plans available to small business employees, the self-employed and the working poor who are presently without access to traditional employer-based health insurance or government-run programs. My plan will not only expand access, but it will help reduce the cost we all pay. Currently, health-care providers and insurance companies subsidize the cost of health care for the uninsured to the tune of $750 per year per family. By making access to health coverage universal, we are expanding access for those without coverage while bringing down the cost of care for everyone and making our businesses more competitive.

The whole interview is like this- random catch phrases from DeVos, solid answers from Granholm.

The choice is made clear every single time you compare the two on the hard issues.

Big Democratic wins likely on Election Day

Today is the third year anniversary of this blog- and I can't think of a better headline to publish than this one.

Let's make it happen, people.

WASHINGTON - Just 20 days until Election Day, the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll finds approval of the GOP-held Congress is at its lowest mark in 14 years, the Republican Party's favorability rating is at an all-time low and President George W. Bush's approval rating remains mired in the 30s -- all ominous signs for a party trying to maintain control of Congress.

In fact, according to the poll, Republicans are in worse shape on some key measures than Democrats were in 1994, when they lost their congressional majorities.

The poll, which was taken of 1,006 registered voters from Oct. 13-16 and has a margin of error of plus-minus 3.1 percentage points, comes a few weeks after Republicans encountered a series of setbacks, including the release of an intelligence estimate calling the Iraq war a "cause célèbre" for Islamic militants, journalist Bob Woodward's unfavorable portrayal of the Bush administration's handling of Iraq, and the news that former U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-Fla., had inappropriate correspondence with teenage congressional pages.

In the survey, Bush's approval rating is at 38 percent, a one-point decline from a previous NBC/Journal poll released earlier this month after the Foley news first broke. Perhaps more revealing, only 16 percent now approve of the job Congress is doing -- its lowest mark since 1992.

I hope this is the turning point and we can start to get our country back on track.

The Bush Republicans need to go. This should be obvious by now.

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

MEDC brings thousands of jobs, millions of dollars to Michigan

... and Republican Rep. Bill Huizenga and the DeVos campaign seem to have a problem with that.

Let's start with the Grand Rapids area.

The Michigan Economic Development Corporation worked with American Litho and PureFlex to expand within the state rather than move out of state.

Michigan beat out Pennsylvania for the American Litho project, which along with parent company Konica Minolta is bringing a new production line to Kentwood. The move means a more than $35 million investment. It will also create 327 jobs. Konica Minolta is also relocating its New York-based graphic arts division to Kentwood.

PureFlex is investing more than $7 million to lease and equip a new facility. That project is expected to create 225 direct jobs and 141 spinoff jobs.

Kalamazoo, Lansing, Owosso, Detroit, Flint and Berrien County are receiving brownfield credits from the now-eliminated SBT. Better get while the gettin's good, as my father used to say. Thousands of jobs are being created.

Greenleaf Holdings 3 LLC - A brownfield Single Business Tax (SBT) credit valued at $2.5 million will support the transformation of two blighted properties located at 130 and 140 West South Street in downtown Kalamazoo. The new development will consist of a four-floor office tower and four parking levels with 142 spaces. The developer will invest approximately $32 million in the project, which is expected to create 10 new jobs and retain approximately 56 jobs.

Woodard Station Lofts LLC - State and local tax capture valued at $2.5 million and a brownfield SBT credit valued at $1.1 million will help transform the former Woodard Furniture manufacturing building in Owosso into a mixed-use development with condos and retail/office space. The developer will invest $17.5 million in the project, which is expected to create 35 new jobs.

Central Brush Park LLC and 3100 Woodward LLC - State and local tax capture valued at $7.2 million and a brownfield SBT credit valued at $10 million will support the two related developments in downtown Detroit. In combination, they will create 347 housing units in addition to commercial and retail space. The developers will invest $112 million in the project, which is expected to create 75 jobs.

City of Flint - State and local tax capture valued at $304,070 and a brownfield SBT credit worth $436,208 will help transform the former Berridge Hotel in downtown Flint into a mixed-use development with 18 condos and commercial space. The $4.5 million cost of the project, expected to create 10 jobs, will be financed by the Genesee County Land Bank Authority.

City of Lansing - State and local tax capture valued at $919,500 and two brownfield SBT credits worth $667,000 and $360,000 will help Demmer Corporation expand its manufacturing and logistical operations at the former Motor Wheel plant in Lansing. The project, which will include upgrades at the company's 1600 N. Larch and 736 McKinley buildings, is expected to involve $12 million in private investment and create 300 new jobs.

Berrien County – State and local tax capture valued at $95,330,623 will be utilized to help advance the Harbor Shores redevelopment project in Berrien County. On October 18, 2005, state and local tax capture of $12.4 million was approved for the initial phases of the project. Since then, several project phases have been clarified and additional property has been added. The mixed-use development will include housing, hotels, a water park, golf course and retail/commercial opportunities. The project is expected to include more than $500 million in private investment and create 2,000 new jobs.

The totals announced- 8,572 jobs and $955 million invested.

Who could complain about these efforts to bring jobs, money and tourism to Michigan? Republicans who are single-mindedly trying to take out Jennifer Granholm, that's who! So myopic in the quest to regain the top spot in Lansing, they would question the things that promote our state and create jobs for people.

They would rather you be unemployed, I guess. Better for them that way. They need things to be bad here. That is why they have spent the better part of this year telling you how horrible we are.

They talk about the "slow dance of turning leaves" and promise free admission. Some use the voice of Michigan-native Tim Allen. All of them are funded by the state of Michigan and one state representative said he thinks they're inappropriate.

They are advertisements promoting Michigan and Michigan.org and they are dominating radio and televisions waves and billboards throughout Michigan and other states. State Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-Zeeland) said the timing of the ads is questionable, with the governor deep into the gubernatorial election.

"There just seems to be a whole bunch of them on the air right now and it raises the red flag," Huizenga said. "I think they are using these funds inappropriately to a degree."

The advertisements promote Michigan tourism, cities and the business environment. They are funded by the 21st Century Michigan Jobs Fund that won bipartisan support and raised advertising dollars for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and Travel Michigan.

"Almost everybody acknowledges this is political," said John Truscott, DeVos for Governor spokesman. "They're spending millions of taxpayer dollars to bolster her (Gov. Jennifer Granholm's) image.

Yes, John, in your twisted little mind these ads benefit only Granholm. Pay no attention to the thousands of jobs created and millions of dollars being invested in Michigan that will bring prosperity to all. That doesn't count in GOP land, even though they complain incessantly about it. Funny how that works.

Perhaps we should just stick with running all those ads for Amway so we can benefit only Dick DeVos and the Republican machine.

They have a lovely temp job waiting there, just for you, Michigan.

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

NFL Week 6 Results:

Detroit 20, Buffalo 17

Carolina 23, Baltimore 21

Tampa Bay 14, Cincinnati 13

Dallas 34, Houston 6

N.Y. Giants 27, Atlanta 14

New Orleans 27, Philadelphia 24

Seattle 30, St. Louis 28

Tennessee 25, Washington 22

Pittsburgh 45, Kansas City 7

N.Y. Jets 20, Miami 17

San Diego 48, San Francisco 19

Denver 13, Oakland 3

Chicago 24, Arizona 23

10-3. Stupid Eagles. But yea! for my Bucs.

New MDP Ad: DeVos Does Bermuda

Actually, the title of this is "Office", but that was kind of boring so I changed it.

Enjoy.

Granholm - DeVos 3rd debate transcription

Available courtesy of Michigan Liberal. I'm not going to publish it all because it would take up the whole page- go read the whole thing here. You will see that the Governor has solid plans and a way to pay for them, Dick can only attack her, attack our state, and speak in generalities.

For example- here is health care- she launched into this from a question on smoking-

JG: But I also think this is a moment to speak about our health plan for the state of Michigan as well. I have proposed a universal access to affordable healthcare plan, it's called Michigan First! I'm in the final stages of negotiating with the federal government to be able to do bit of what they did in Massachusetts, if any of you saw that. They are providing universal access to affordable healthcare there. In partnership with the federal government, we're going to do the same thing. For those who are at 300% of poverty and below-200% of poverty and below! We're going to provide a no-frills benefit package that is subsidized by both the state and the federal government. For those who are above 200% of poverty, we'd offer the same benefit on a sliding scale, depending on income. This would all be administered by the private sector. The state would be a connector- connecting people to these plans. It's very exciting. we want to show the nation how we can lead the way in providing health care because we need it. We are, as a nation, one of the only nations in the country that does not provide some assistance to business with respect to health care. We put the full burden on the business community and it makes us uncompetitive. Our automobiles now have sixteen hundred per vehicle embedded in those kind of costs. Now my opponent, I would challenge him to tell us what his his health care plan is cause previously he has said that his health care plan is get a job.

CS: Time. Mr. DeVos?

DD: The governor has talked about a health care plan and after four years, there still is no plan, there still is no legislation, there still is no results, and in fact, fifty-three-thousand less people in Michigan have health care than when this governor took office- fifty-three-thousand less, not more. Once again, we're going backwards. Once again, Michigan is not leading in the nation, Michigan is trailing in the nation. And once again, the Governor is promising what is going to happen in 4 years. But..uh... we haven't seen results in the 4 years that have passed already. We can do better. We need results Governor.

Notice that Dick never, ever says what he would do, how it would be different under him. Can you name any one, specific thing that Dick would do for health care?

Granholm asked him how he would pay for all the tax cuts, too-

JG: And again, I would ask my opponent to address how he is going to possibly balance this budget, increase funding for higher education or any of the other things he says he wants to increase spending on, including K thru 12, when he's cut another billion dollars from the budget. This is not Washington D.C. Two plus two in Lansing still equals four. We cannot print money. You have to balance the budget.

He never answers. He never does.

And that is your whole debate, once again.

WXYZ has the video if you prefer to watch.

She took command of the stage right from the beginning by taking away one of his attacks- and the media is picking up on it. From the AP-

The tone of the final debate Monday night suggested there may be plenty of hits yet to come in the final three weeks of the campaign. DeVos again said the state needs a change in leadership because it has moved backward under Granholm, while the governor said DeVos has made promises he can't keep if he plans to cut business taxes.

The negative comments came quickly, with Granholm accusing DeVos of using the images of dead children for recent political attacks.

Granholm was alluding to criticism DeVos has launched against her over the deaths of children, including Ricky Holland, a 7-year-old Williamston boy whose adoptive mother is on trial for his death in the summer of 2005. Republican supporters showed a picture of the boy outside the WXYZ-TV studios where the debate was held.

"If you have a beef with me, bring it on," Granholm told DeVos. "I can take it. Use my name. But let's leave the names of deceased children out of it."

DeVos and the Republicans were going to exploit this kid- how could they possibly know to bring pictures if they weren't tipped off by the MI GOP? By calling him out first, she set the tone on this issue- and Matt heard a rumor that he was very upset about this. I have a feeling that was the next commercial- and now it will be rightfully called what it is- exploitation.

UPDATE 5:10PM- How did they know to bring pictures? The Michigan Republican Party printed them up! From Peter Luke's story on the debate-

After the debate, DeVos said he hadn't seen Michigan Republican Party posters featuring the photos of dead children and titled, "Another Granholm victim."

Yes, that's the Republican leadership for you. They try to throw kids off of welfare, or cut the social programs that help keep them safe, and then they turn around and exploit them when they are gone.

These are some vile and despicable people.

Back to the debate, Hoffman mentions the Bermuda bombshell.

But the governor went after some of DeVos' activities while he was president of Ada-based Amway Corp., saying the company incorporated an Amway subsidiary in Bermuda to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

"It's taking advantage of the Bermuda loophole," she said.

"You know that's not true," DeVos shot back.

Michigan Democratic Party Chairman Mark Brewer said after the debate that Amway incorporated a company called Amway Asia Pacific Ltd. in Bermuda. The subsidiary, formed in 1993, was a public company at the time but later was taken private.

"The reason you go to Bermuda is to evade taxes," Brewer said. "It's a well-known tax haven."

Rob Zeiger, corporate communications director at Alticor Inc., Amway's parent company, said the company incorporated several foreign subsidiaries in Bermuda that it had used to raise capital.

With these two things, Granholm has controlled the media message of this debate. WZZM's report said the same thing, in the same order this morning- kids, Bermuda. Bang, bang.

Now Dick has two huge issues to address- and no more debates to address them with. He plays defense from here on out. And he has to do it in the noise of the Tigers in the World series.

Good job, Governor. That is exactly what needed to happen.

The Disembodied Head agrees, although he won't admit it. Just like Bermuda.

Monday, October 16, 2006

Granholm's closing statement for the third debate- transcription

Thanks to Matt at Michigan Liberal for doing this-

"I'm somebody who has fought for you - for all citizens - and he is somebody who has stood on the other side of the things that I have fought for.

I fought to create jobs here and diversify our economy in Michigan. He's elminated 1,400 jobs in Michigan when he was CEO of Amway.

I fought the policies of outsourcing and unfair trade of George Bush. He's George Bush's...one of their biggest backers and has supported those unfair trade policies that have hurt us.

I went to Asia to bring home 22 companies, 1,000 jobs and $200 million in investment. He went to Asia, and invested $200 million to create thousands of jobs there.

I'm somebody who strongly believes that a woman should have the right to choose. My opponent strongly believes that that right should be - that she would be criminalized - a criminal - if she chose that right even in the case of rape or incest.

I support embryonic stem cell research. He opposes it.

I support public education. He led the voucher movement to take money away from public education.

I'm somebody who believes in health care for all. His health care plan is "get a job."

I'm somebody who believes...I will not gut public safety in order to fund business tax cuts. He incorporated his subsidiaries in Bermuda to avoid paying U.S. taxes.

There are vast differences, but I'm going to fight for YOU and for opportunity for all.

We may not all have gotten here on the same boat, but we're in rocky seas...and we're all in the same boat now. My opponent is an expert yachtsman. And, I believe that his philosophy - is each man for himself. But I am the captain of this ship of state...and I will bring us ALL into port. My philosophy is "all hands on deck."

I ask for your vote on November 7.

You got it. Thank you for fighting the good fight, Governor. You're the best!

Granholm For Governor: Truth Squad: Final Debate

Once again, here are the facts. Cleaning up after Dick is such a pain.

DeVos' Debate Distortions: Correcting the Record

Governor Granholm did not cause Michigan's economic problems.

Dick DeVos' support for unfair trade and outsourcing caused them. Dick DeVos' support for President Bush and unfair trade policies cause the pain our automakers, workers, and economy are feeling now, not Governor Granholm. Michigan lost 264,000 jobs during the last 2.5 years under Engler, and have actually gained 24,000 jobs under Governor Granholm. Michigan's economic problems are a result of slow national economic growth under Bush; and more importantly, the slump in the U.S. auto industry and the fact that Michigan is far more dependent upon the auto industry than any other state, according to a recent report by the respected Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Governor Granholm is moving forward with the Michigan First Health Care plan.

The Governor's team is currently in negotiations with the federal government to reach consensus about the plan's financing and design to ensure that when the final waiver request is submitted, it will be acceptable to both the state and federal governments. These negotiations take time, but they are moving forward. In Massachusetts, it took nearly two years to negotiate the waiver they used to implement their new health care program. The Governor expects the program to start in April 2007. Dick DeVos, on the other hand, says the only way to get health care is to get a job. DeVos is leaving out thousands of people who are currently employed with out health care.

DeVos said he's confused over Michigan's tax situation.

But the truth is Dick DeVos has proposed $3 billion in corporate tax cuts. He pushed for the elimination of the Single Business Tax without a replacement and now wants to cut the Business Equipment Tax. To make those cuts DeVos would have to either raise taxes on families or cut health care, education, or police and fire forces.

DeVos said the Governor never had to make a personal investment decision.

The truth is Governor Granholm has made real decisions while leading the state of Michigan. To help businesses, for example, Governor Granholm has made state permitting much easier for businesses - cutting air permitting times by 67 percent, for example. State government is leaner than ever – there are fewer employees than at any time since 1974, and when adjusted for inflation, the state general fund spending is smaller than any time since 1970. Michigan was named the third best managed state in the country by Governing Magazine. Michigan improved its ranking to fifth place on the Small Business Survival Index 2005 compiled by the Washington, D.C.-based Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council. In Site Selection magazine's annual ranking of "business climate" Michigan jumped seven places in 2005, from 15th to 8th. One of DeVos' own companies sent the Granholm administration a letter with praise for its quick permitting process.

Dick DeVos wants you to believe the Governor isn't doing enough to educate our kids, but Governor Granholm is a champion of public education.

Governor Granholm has given more state funding to K-12 education than any Governor in history. She is revolutionizing early childhood education programs to get kids ready for school. She instituted tough new curriculum standards for our kids to give them the tools they need to get 21st Century jobs, and she's fighting to give every child in Michigan access to a $4,000 scholarship for college, a plan that DeVos' Republican friends in the Legislature are blocking. DeVos, on the other hand, financed a ballot initiative to create risky school voucher scheme that would have drained money from public schools and vowed to revisit the issue later.

Dick DeVos says he wants to improve our public schools, but he supports reducing funding for public schools.

But Dick DeVos and his wife Betsy believe in taking public tax dollars for private education - which drains money from public schools. Dick and Betsy founded All Children Matter, a national organization pushing for vouchers throughout the country. It has been widely reported that the pro-voucher group is lobbying for vouchers in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin and Utah. There's a reason why the Grand Rapids Press called the couple "the face of the voucher movement." The Detroit News reported Betsy DeVos contributed $200,000 to All Child matter just this past April. Dick and Betsy also led the unsuccessful 2000 campaign for school vouchers, spending some $10 million. And don't forget, on December 2, 2002, Dick DeVos made his position clear while speaking to the Heritage Foundation: "But when the time comes, we will bring the fight back to Michigan again and do everything we can there."

DeVos said only one automotive plant has come to Michigan in the past several years. That's not true.

There have been multiple manufacturing plants buit under Governor Jennifer Granholm, including plants in Dundee and the new General Motors plant. In addition, Governor Granholm was supported by the Michigan Manufactures Association for giving a $600 million tax cut to our Michigan manufacturers.

Dick DeVos' attacks about police officers on the streets are misleading; Governor Granholm spent her career protecting Michigan families.

The figure DeVos cites dates to 9/11/01, more than a year before the Governor took office. Despite having cut more from state government than any governor before her in order to resolve $4 billion in budget deficits, Governor Granholm fought hard to protect funding that keeps Michigan families safe. Unfortunately, federal funding cuts for President Clinton's C.O.P.S. Program - which put 100,000 police officers on the streets nationwide – has meant that local governments have had far fewer resources to hire new police officers to replace those lost to retirement. Michigan receives only 60 percent of what the state received in 2003. Despite belt-tightening across state government, in this year's state budget Governor Granholm worked to fund a recruitment and training program to increase the number of Michigan State Police Troopers.

Dick DeVos is not turnaround leader. He's part of the problem for Michigan.

His support for President Bush and unfair free trade agreements is what got Michigan into this mess in the first place. DeVos is not a Michigan jobs maker, and his own father said that his claims of turning around Grand Rapids were taking a little "political license."

WTG Governor Granholm!

Bermuda. Estate tax. Leave the kids out of it. What's YOUR plan, Dick?

Boom, boom, out go the lights!

That. was. beautiful.

Dick, as usual, said the same things he always says- all platitudes, no plans, all blame. Stutter, stumble, same lies he tells everytime. He's "disappointed" again. What a shame.

Lots for the press to talk about- let's see if they get on it.

How MUCH money in Bermuda are we talking about here, Dick?

I wanted a bomb, I got it.

Thank you Governor.

Early press:

The Detroit News mentions Bermuda.

Hoffman with the AP does, also. The TV ad starts tomorrow. I'm smiling.

The "pros" rate the debate at the DN- only one gets it right. DN editorial says DeVos wins. Surprise. Says Granholm has "cheap shots". Ha. More disgusting than the GR Press. Would really love to know what these guys are seeing. Or smoking.

Grand Rapids Press endorses Dick... Posthumus:

Given the Press endorsement for Dick DeVos yesterday (I know you're shocked by that), I thought we might want to revisit the reasons they endorsed Dick Posthumus in 2002.

The economic outlook provides a backdrop to the gubernatorial race. It's a looming issue that has received surprisingly scant public attention. Nonetheless, this fiscal reality is a critical point on which voters' judgments should turn. Democrat Jennifer Granholm and Republican Dick Posthumus would bring to the governor's office sharply different backgrounds and perspectives. We recommend Lt. Gov. RICHARD POSTHUMUS, of Alto, as the person best suited to steer Michigan through the coming financial shoals.

Mr. Posthumus is well equipped, having had a major part -- as Senate majority leader and lieutenant governor -- in state decision-making over the last dozen years. Policies of those years, overall, have been very good for Michigan. Compared to 1990, Michigan has significantly lower taxes, a more balanced economy, fewer people dependent upon welfare and much more equity and adequacy in the funding of public schools.

Mr. Posthumus can claim a share of credit for those accomplishments. More important is that the record points to where he would lead as governor. Among Mr. Posthumus' other assets is a thorough familiarity with state government. He would need no learning period before tackling the knotty budget problems ahead in 2003.

Attorney General Jennifer Granholm, of Northville, comes to this race with less than four years in a major elective position. Although she generally has done well as attorney general, she has a thin base of knowledge of the state and state government. With more experience at the state level, she would be a better candidate.

That is not a comment on her intelligence. She is smart, well educated and is quick to catch on to complex circumstances. With a scant record of high-level policymaking, however, Ms. Granholm's decision-making as governor largely is an open question. She has, at times, seemed to be much less her own person than a collection of positions taken to attract the support of various interest groups.

Source Citation: "For governor: Posthumus; He would be a steady hand in the difficult times ahead.(Editorial)." The Grand Rapids Press (Grand Rapids, MI) (Oct 20, 2002)

This year, it's "no experience necessary".

The Grand Rapids Press. Our motto, "We make shit up as we go along."

Barack Obama in Detroit with Granholm, Stabenow

The media didn't cover this. The campaigns didn't cover this. (why, I don't know)

But with one hand held camera, we now can see the event. Not just subjective writing, actually seeing and hearing what went down.

The implications of that are staggering- people as reporters, unedited video. Just think of what that means, no more selective editing from the major media organizations to fit their story. We can get the complete picture.

Fascinating.

Here is part 2 with Barack- go watch. He is a great speaker.

U.S. Sen. Stabenow, challenger Bouchard square off in debate

I listened to it from the other room- and I was struck by how many familiar phrases I heard coming out of their mouths. Starting to think that there is some master list of talking points and scripts for political candidates.

"Hi, my name is (insert name here) and I am fighting for the working families of (insert city, district, or state here). I promise that I will bring (leadership, change, jobs, a fence) to our community, while my opponent has clearly supported the (policies of Bush, illegal immigrants, terrorists, special interests). Together, we can (move forward, bring change, fight Washington) and take back our country from (Bush, illegal immigrants, terrorists, special interests). Vote for me November 7th, and I promise I will (cut taxes, create jobs, build a fence, fight special interests). Thank you.

Mike Bouchard looks like he just can't wait to get to Washington and be Bill Frist's most favorite lap dog. Nothing but attacks on Stabenow, no plans of his own. To hear him complain about the policy of his own party and blame Stabenow for it was quite hilarious. You just know he would fold over like a house of cards for anything that the national GOP proposes, and it will be business as usual.

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — Republican U.S. Senate challenger Mike Bouchard, trailing in polls, got aggressive with incumbent Democrat Debbie Stabenow during their first debate Sunday.

Stabenow fired right back in a rare joint appearance less than a month before the Nov. 7 election.

The candidates sparred over Michigan's economy, the war in Iraq and other issues in a fast-paced, hour-long debate scheduled to air Sunday night on a tape-delay basis on Public Broadcasting Service stations statewide.

Bouchard criticized Stabenow's record on the economy, noting that Michigan has lost thousands of jobs in recent years.

Stabenow said Bouchard would support the "failed policies" of the Bush administration and has failed to offer solutions of his own. Stabenow defended her economic stances, including a plan to have a trade prosecutor enforce U.S. trade agreements with other nations to protect U.S. jobs.

"We are in a fight for our way of life in this country," Stabenow said in the Grand Rapids studio of WGVU-TV, site of the debate. "We are in a fight for the middle class."

In an interesting twist, Rachel Ruiz tried to play peacemaker and asked each of them to say something nice about the other. I think they both managed to get in an attack while praising their opponent.

Stabenow clearly has command of the issues- and we need to take back the Senate. Yes, she has made a few horrific votes in her time, but the good far outweighs the bad, and continued Republican control will only bring more destruction. She has my vote.

Third and final gubernatorial debate tonight

This is it. If there are more bombs to be dropped, now is the time.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) - With only three weeks to go before the election, tonight's third and final gubernatorial debate could be the candidates' best chance to nail down votes in the waning days of the campaign.

Democratic Governor Granholm and her Republican rival Dick DeVos have used the two previous debates to jab at each other and explain why they would be the best choice to lead Michigan.
Now, they have to seal the deal.

DeVos sharpened his attacks on the governor during the second debate Tuesday in Grand Rapids and during a presentation Thursday to the Detroit Economic Club.

He managed to string two sentences together and came off like the mean and vindictive little man that he his. He still hasn't explained how he will replace $3.6 billion in revenue. He still can't point to any jobs he has created. He used slippery and evasive language to hide his extreme social views. And, to prove how low he will go, he dragged the names of dead children into the mix, proving that the GOP will Leave No Child Unexploited in their quest for power.

For her part, Granholm has continued to question how DeVos' plans to cut business taxes will affect services such as education, police protection and health care.

C'mon Governor- let's make the Detroit News and the GR Press eat their words. Put this bastard on the ground for good.

Fight back!

Tonight at 8pm on your local ABC station.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Clinton says Republican extremists divided country

Gee, Bill, ya think?

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Former President Bill Clinton told Iowa's Democratic Party faithful on Saturday that the actions of "an extreme sliver" of the Republican Party have backfired and "profoundly divided" the country.

"We've got a big responsibility. Forget about 2008. Forget about the politics. Just go out and find somebody and look them dead in the eye and say 'You know, this is not right'...This is America," Clinton said. "We can do better and this year, it's a job that Democrats have to do alone."

Republicans, who control the White House and Congress, Clinton charged "paint themselves as pure and the rest of us who don't agree with them as stained" in order to divide the country and stay in power.

"People know things are out of whack, that fundamentally the order of, the rhythm of public life and our common life as Americans has been severely disturbed," he said.

Clinton criticized the tax cuts President George W. Bush pushed through Congress and urged Democrats running for office this year to promise to correct the imbalance -- and promise not to raise taxes in the process.

"You cannot blame the entire Republican party for this reason. The entire government of the United States, the Congress, the White House and increasingly the courts for the last six years has been in the total control not of the Republican party but of the most ideological, the most right wing, the most extreme sliver of the Republican Party."

Vote a straight Democratic ticket on election day. You'll be glad you did.

Roundup of Granholm/DeVos stories from the past few days...

You want issues? We got issues. We got issues coming out of our ears here in Michigan all of a sudden.

Here is a list of some of the stories of interest published recently-

Education. The AP, courtesy of WOOD, has the differing views on education funding, charter schools and curriculum. As usual, DeVos favors blowing the whole system out of the water and figuring it all out later. The other day he made the comment that he would cut $1 billion out of "education bureaucracy" and didn't say how he would pay for it. This must have come to a shock to all those in education who are struggling to provide as it is.

Granholm has managed to increase funding for education and is still working towards increasing the Merit scholarship. She points out that "3 percent of school costs go to administration and that school administrative costs in Michigan are 25 percent below the national average". She is more inclined to working with the education system rather than dictating to them what to do. Once again she has the solid fiscal plan, whereas DeVos thinks he can just cut his way out.

Good luck, people. Glad I don't have kids.

Religion. This comes from the K-zoo Gazette, but it did run in the GR Press also. Because the issue of money, money, money has dominated this election, not much has been said about the candidate's religious views. As the article states, the difference in interpretation of their faith likely would "hold quite different manifestations" when it comes to the course that policy will take.

I believe that DeVos will push his views as a "conservative" on the people of Michigan, as already evidenced by his stance on abortion, intelligent design in the science classroom, and stem cell research. He has done his best to try to hide his views and play moderate, but his record on financial support of extremist groups such as the Family Research Council, etc., paints the picture of policy DeVos would implement, and our wacky legislature will be happy to oblige him. Dick, with the help of Betsy, will have his own little theocracy right here.

Granholm says "her faith compels her to work in many ways for the most vulnerable in society", and doesn't seem inclined to push her religious views to try restrict people's behavior, which I believe is the way it should be. A side note- I didn't know she was raised Presbyterian; thought she was a life-long Catholic. That's cool. Someone with experience in both churches can offer a wider perspective.

I'll just say this- I am not a Christian. I am never going to be a Christian. Please keep your restrictions and your judgments to yourself, and let me live my life. This statement will make me very unpopular with some Christians, but I don't care anymore. After growing up in the repressive town of Grand Rapids, I'm tired of feeling that they will take me out and stone me to death with their bibles if I get out of line. I've had enough.

Voters in this article from Grand Rapids complain, "What about our issues?" To those people I would say, get out there and read. Both campaigns have extensive web sites, and the papers are finally starting to publish interviews with editorial boards and articles such as the ones I cited above. Stop waiting for the TV to force feed you pre-chewed information. The Press has another short article in this vein here.

The truth is out there, you just have to look for it.

Speaking of interviews with editorial boards, here is Granholm's interview with the GR Press. Pretty short write-up compared to the Free Press. Must have taken all of ten minutes.

The GR Press has "candidate profiles" today- DeVos, written by Press writer Ed Golder, seems to be pretty "puffy" but also includes a few unflattering facts about Dick's life and career. Peter Luke writes on Granholm- this piece focuses more on her time in office rather than an overall view of her life.

Nice profile on John Cherry here. Seems like a pretty good guy- you never hear much about him, but apparently has done quite a bit of work in tandem with Granholm these past four years.

And just a reminder- the Stabenow/Bouchard debate will be shown tonight at 8pm on PBS stations. Tune in and see if he tries to peg her with Stevens "bridge to nowhere" in a debate, too. I always get a laugh out of that.

There. Now you have plenty of reading for the day.

New Granholm Ad : Parents

Yes, Zack, I finally stopped slacking here and got the video tubed all on my own. ;-) I'm just praying that Google doesn't screw them up like they did Blogger. Fingers crossed.

Another positive, "serious" ad from the Guv (with a little jab in there)- I really like this, and at this point it is a very nice contrast to the pure negative attack ads that are being run by DeVos.

Darkness vs. the light.

It's just that complex, and just that simple.

Selzer Poll: Granholm surges to solid lead 49-41

The news articles and the polls are coming fast and furious now. With my internet connection being spotty to non-existent the past two out of three days, it has been hard to keep up. (I did talk to a very nice lady at Comcast's call center in Canada last night- she gave me some tips on dealing with my local office, where the problem is originating. I hope this gets resolved- if not, I plan on getting a credit every single time they go down from here on out. Maybe that will wake them up.)

Here are the Selzer poll numbers-

Gaining strength among women and metro Detroit voters, Gov. Jennifer Granholm has opened an 8-point lead on Republican challenger Dick DeVos, according to The Detroit Free Press-Local 4 Michigan Poll.

The poll conducted last week -- a month from the Nov. 7 election -- shows Granholm with a 49% to 41% lead among likely voters. A Free Press-Local 4 poll in late August showed Granholm had taken a 2-point lead, statistically a dead heat, after trailing earlier in the campaign.

The new poll shows the governor has solidified her support more than DeVos. Among those who say they've made up their minds, Granholm holds a nearly 20-point edge.

Granholm's lead is not insurmountable, but J. Ann Selzer, president of Selzer & Co., the Des Moines, Iowa, firm that conducted the poll, said "it would take a huge effort for DeVos to pull it out."

The Free Press has a breakdown of the questions asked, including the demographics (evenly split among party lines, independents breaking for Granholm), strength of support (Granholm wins hands down), words that characterize the candidates (DeVos wins on "visionary", but not by much. That blows me away because he still hasn't said what he is going to do. Granholm wins on "trustworthy", and "tuned in to average Michiganigander", both solid leads) , statements about the candidates (always subject to wide interpretation, I won't even go there), and a pretty picture that shows Granholm's surging trend lines. (Nirmal did a much better job here.)

All .pdfs. While I'm sure they look good in the paper, it's a pain on the web. Thanks, guys.

The Free Press today also prints some questions from the interview with Granholm, and provides links to the video on that same page. Go watch if you have the time- it's good, although they still haven't gotten the audio/visual in synch. I give them points for trying, though, it's a good idea- but I would still rather read than watch.

They do the same for DeVos, and in print he sounds just as bad as he does on a visual- all platitudes, no solid answers, no definite plans. The things that he does manage to answer are almost direct rip-offs of the plans Granholm already has under way. (For example, he points to Mitt Romney on health care.) He still pushes the idea that he can cut taxes and not cut services. For a state that has cut to the bone already, I don't see how that can be true, but then again I don't think Dick is telling the truth on a lot of the things he says.

The Free Press will make their endorsement next week.

The Tigers win the Pennant- on to the World Series

I remember saying to Ogie back in the spring, "I think they are going to be pretty good this year."

I never dreamed they would be this good.

DETROIT (AP) -- Magglio Ordonez hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning off Huston Street to send the Tigers to the World Series with a 6-3 victory and a four-game sweep of the Oakland Athletics on Saturday afternoon.

With two outs in the ninth inning and the score tied 3-3, Craig Monroe and Placido Polanco hit back-to-back singles. Ordonez followed with a towering home run to left field and the stadium erupted.

It was the second home run of the game for Ordonez, whose birthday is today. In the sixth inning, Ordonez pounded a line drive into the left field seats to tie the game at 3-3.

With the crowd of 42,967 at Comerica Park in delirium, joined by fans watching from distant downtown buildings and all over Michigan, the Tigers rejoiced after their seventh straight postseason win.

Polanco won the ALCS MVP award after hitting .529 (9-for-17) in the four games and extending his postseason hitting streak to nine games - dating back to 2001 with St. Louis.

This is the fifth straight year a wild card team will be in the World Series. The wild-card Tigers now get a week to rest and wait for Game 1 at home next Saturday against either the New York Mets or St. Louis Cardinals. It will be their first Series appearance since winning it all on this exact same date in 1984.

What a magical year- and we ain't done yet. I am really looking forward to this Series. Anyone have a ticket for me? ;-)

NFL Week 6: Off the top of my head

Buffalo at Detroit

Carolina at Baltimore

Cincinnati at Tampa Bay

Houston at Dallas

N.Y. Giants at Atlanta

Philadelphia at New Orleans

Seattle at St. Louis

Tennessee at Washington

Kansas City at Pittsburgh

Miami at N.Y. Jets

San Diego at San Francisco

Oakland at Denver

Chicago at Arizona

Open date: Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Minnesota, New England

Saturday, October 14, 2006

DeVos' comments riled pro-lifers

Oops. Looks like the base wasn't happy about being moved to the back of the bus.

Jerry Zandstra doesn't doubt for a second Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' solid pro-life credentials.

But after the last gubernatorial debate, some pro-life advocates did.

"The next day I got inundated with phone calls," said Zandsta, a former Republican U.S. Senate candidate and president of the Pro-Life Federation of Michigan. "There was a lot of anger over it."

-snip-

DeVos, of Ada, has made his campaign almost exclusively about the bread-and-butter issue of getting people back to work. He also holds positions crucial to social conservatives -- he's pro-life, backs school choice and supports teaching intelligent design in public schools subject to local control -- but hasn't emphasized those issues.

Granholm and Democrats have pounced on opportunities to turn the election debate to hot-button issues and away from joblessness. They did so recently when DeVos voiced his support for school districts teaching intelligent design.

I see how this works now. When the Republicans want to use the base as a "family values" weapon to bludgeon their opponents with their so-called moral superiority, these issues are of utmost importance. Now that it's inconvenient for them to be so extreme, all of a sudden it's a needless distraction that the Democrats are somehow taking advantage of.

OK. Just so we are clear.

Looks like Jerry Zandstra is now the go-to guy for All Things Wingnut around here. He recently dropped the dime on Judge Janet Neff to Sen. Sam Brownback, a guy who makes Bill Frist seem like a reasonable and moderate human being. The judge actually knows a couple of gay folks, and obviously that's a problem.

Republican Sen. Sam Brownback of Kansas has placed a hold on the nomination of Michigan Court of Appeals Judge Janet T. Neff, saying her presence at the 2002 Massachusetts ceremony raises questions about her judicial philosophy.

-snip-

Cutlerville, Mich., minister Jerry Zandstra, who unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate, cited the commitment ceremony in a letter to Brownback this week. Zandstra said "this wasn't known publicly and it should have been. Somehow the proper vetting wasn't done here."

Gay activists call Brownback's inquiry a publicity stunt that is irrelevant to Neff's qualifications.

"This has got nothing to do with legal or ethical concerns by Sam Brownback and everything to do with him finding another opportunity to show himself to be the mean-spirited bigot that he is," said Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

Someone needs to tell Jerry that this is not 2004 and that he needs to find some new hobbies. The Republican Party won't be requiring the services of the far right this year.

Just ask DeVos.

Friday, October 13, 2006

New EPIC Poll: Granholm widens lead 51-42

Who's your Tiger now, Dick?

GRAND RAPIDS - Jennifer Granholm has opened up a 9-point lead over her Republican challenger for governor, Dick DeVos, according to a new EPIC-MRA poll taken after Tuesday night's debate at WOOD TV8.

The survey of 608 voters was taken between October 10-12, 2006, and has a margin of error of 4 percent.

In the survey, 48% said they would vote for Granholm, and another 3% were leaning that way. DeVos has the support of 38%, with another 4% leaning toward him.

In the race for Secretary of State, Terri Lynn Land has a 29-point edge, 56-27, over her Democratic challenger Carmella Sabaugh.

Incumbent Attorney General Mike Cox has a 48-34 lead over his main challenger, Democrat Amos Williams.

Proposal 2, the Michigan Civil Rights Initiative that would ban affirmative action in public institutions, is favored by a 50-41 margin.

Short poll this time- script can be found here.

38% feel the oil companies are trying to help Bush and the Republicans.

I'm lovin' it.

DeVos says he'd be 'thrilled' if Roe v. Wade is overturned

I had forgotten that Michigan has a law on the books that bans abortion- that is what Dick meant the other night when he said "the laws are sufficient". He was trying to evade the question in the debate by not stating his position for all to see, but now has come clean on Catholic radio. Dick knows his audience.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos told a Catholic radio program that he'd be "thrilled" if the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding a woman's right to an abortion is overturned and abortion is sharply restricted in Michigan.

Before the court issued its decision in Roe v. Wade, Michigan had a law banning abortion except to save the mother's life, a position DeVos shares. The state law was superseded when the court issued its opinion, but it could be enforced again — or a new ban passed — if that decision is overturned by the high court.

"As soon as Roe v. Wade is overturned, which I think we all pray that it will be ... we will revert back to Michigan law," DeVos said Thursday in an interview with Al Kresta, host of the syndicated Catholic talk show "Kresta in the Afternoon" on Ave Maria Radio. "We would go back to that standard, and I would be thrilled about it."

Yes, Dick will be thrilled when women are forced into the underground and die from botched jobs. Dick will be thrilled that we have created a whole new criminal class to prosecute. And notice how Dick projects his opinion onto everyone by saying "we all pray that it will be". Dick thinks he speaks for everyone.

Dick will be overjoyed when this starts to happen-

Supporters of abortion rights cite the estimate that some 5,000 women a year died from illegal and unsafe abortions before the passage of Roe v. Wade in 1973. Opponents call the figure grossly exaggerated, noting that after the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, the official count of abortion-related deaths plummeted — to 193 by 1965.

Abortion rights supporters argue that those figures badly underestimate how many deaths actually occurred; they say very few doctors and parents wanted to admit that their patients or daughters died from illegal procedures.

"You have to know that it is estimated that there were up to 1.2 million illegal abortions every year, so this 5,000 is four-tenths of 1 percent. I think it's actually an understated number," Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., told The Associated Press. "I personally believe it's higher than that, given the fact that these were back-alley, and a lot of them done in unsanitary situations."

Hey- we have antibiotics now, so only a few women will die, right?

According to the Guttmacher Institute, the best estimates of abortion-related deaths suggest that the number of women who died from abortion-related causes was significantly higher before the introduction of antibiotics in the 1940s, which permitted more effective treatment of the infections that frequently developed after illegal abortion.

In 1930, abortion was listed as the official cause of death for almost 2,700 women; in 1940, that number had declined to just under 1,700; in 1950, the number fell dramatically to 316.

By 1965, the official count of abortion-related deaths had fallen to 193 but, because abortion was illegal during those years, it is probable that the number of deaths due to abortion was much greater than officially reported, the Guttmacher Institute said.

So, Dick will be thrilled when only a few women die. Young, poor, frightened women. As before, the rich will be able to fly away and "take care" of the problem.

Back to the Dark Ages for Michigan under a DeVos regime.

Thursday, October 12, 2006

Granholm/DeVos Spar in Detroit

Michigan Liberal had a live blogging of this event this afternoon- nice job Lucy!

Detroit - Governor Jennifer Granholm and her Republican challenger Dick DeVos shared a stage in front of Michigan's most influential business audience Thursday - The Detroit Economic Club. Each spoke for 15 minutes, Granholm going first.

She outlined six steps she says her administration has taken to achieve what she's called the most aggressive economic development program in the country. DeVos spelled out 10 action steps he said would improve the state's sagging economy. DeVos said "We'll make more change and get more done in the first 45 days than Governor Granholm's done in 45 months."

A point of contention was DeVos' plan, revealed in Tuesday's debate, to eliminate the state's personal property tax. The tax, paid by businesses on their assets and equipment, brings the state $1.7 billion dollars distributed to schools and cities. The governor called on DeVos to outline "today" how he would replace those funds.

WZZM has the videos up.

Granholm speech here.

DeVos speech here.

Dick apparently is going to cut all the taxes, but yet somehow increase spending on schools, public safety, business development, etc., and so on. Oh, and Dick is going to fire everybody. He must have been a real swell guy to work for. Guess all the stories are true.

Quite frankly, dragging Ricky Holland into this to score political points(?) is one of the lowest things I've ever seen- but I knew it was coming.

This is one bad, bad man who will scrape the bottom looking for mud to throw.

Granholm, on the other hand, has a solid plan AND a way to pay for it. The crowd was definitely on her side, and I noticed the applause when she mentioned that some in Lansing now think that canning the SBT the way they did was not such a good idea.

I'm sorry that she had to sit and listen to Dick say all those horrible things about her and our state. It can't be easy.

EDIT 10/13: From Peter Luke's column today- apparently I was right.

Staring icily at him from the dais at Cobo Hall as DeVos read off the names of dead children, Granholm appeared to take it personally.

"When you go on personal attacks like that, that may be an indication that people are not listening to his (economic) message," Granholm said after the speeches. "Using human tragedies for political benefit is a sign of desperation."

I am so sorry Governor. This man is pond scum. I'm embarrassed that he is from my hometown.

Republicans crossing party lines to support Granholm

Come to the light, people...

ESCANABA — Some Michigan Republicans are crossing party lines to support Gov. Jennifer Granholm. After weighing the issues and evaluating the candidates, the members of Republicans for Granholm decided that Granholm would be a better governor than GOP contender Dick DeVos, said Gil Ziegler, chairman of Republicans for Granholm, who visited Escanaba Wednesday.

It wasn’t easy for Ziegler, a Charlevoix businessman, to decide who would be the best leader for Michigan. “I’m a Republican. I’ve been a Republican all my life. ...It took a lot of soul searching,” he said. However, once Ziegler had weighed the benefits of each candidate, he chose Granholm, he said.

Nicholas Baise, treasurer of Republicans for Granholm, said he joined the organization in part because he trusts Granholm’s economic plan. He praised her ability to balance budgets during trying economic times. As a Republican, Baise wanted to support someone with fiscal responsibility, he said. “Granholm best represents those views,” explained Baise, who visited Escanaba with Ziegler.

That much should be obvious by now.

There is also the wingnut factor.

Some have categorized Ziegler, who in 1994 ran an unsuccessful campaign for Congress, as a moderate Republican, he said. “I resent it. I’m the same Republican I was 40 years ago,” said Ziegler. It is the Republican Party, in general, that has moved too far to the right, he said.

When the Republicans for Granholm campaign was launched in late August, Ziegler believed other Republicans felt the same things he did. Early on, the Republicans for Granholm Web site got 50,000 hits in four days, he said, with 1,000 people signing up as members. The organization hopes to reach “independent, undecided, mainstream Republicans,” said Ziegler.

Many Republicans have moved too far to the right on social issues, said Ziegler, owner of Alken-Ziegler, an auto supply company located in Kalkaska and Livonia.

Bring a bunch of your friends with you, moderates.

It's Comcastic!:

Sorry about the late posting today, but once again Comcast was down all morning. I had the post below all ready to go at 7 am.

So I took pictures instead... and that wasn't much fun, either.

DeVos' tax cut bombshell won't hit you, honest

If you throw in the $1.9 billion from the SBT, we are now talking $3.6 billion dollars in tax cuts. But don't worry, Dick will figure out a plan "after the election".

Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos' assertion that he'd eliminate personal property taxes on businesses dropped a $1.7-billion bomb on the fractious election-year issue of taxes and state spending.

DeVos' remarks during Tuesday's debate with Gov. Jennifer Granholm furthered his support for a drastic overhaul of business taxes, compared to Granholm's more measured approach.

He also piqued concern among schools and local governments, which rely on personal property taxes.

Personal property taxes will generate $760 million for schools statewide and $916 million for local cities and townships this fiscal year. The taxes are based on business assets and equipment, including heavy industrial machinery, and are collected by local governments.

"Michigan cities are operating with a fiscal noose around our neck. Eliminating the personal property tax would be like kicking the chair out," said Summer Minnick, lobbyist for the Michigan Municipal League.

When Dick has control of the legislature, then he will tell you what he will do. You can trust him, can't you? Just because he stands to benefit a great deal from all these cuts doesn't mean a thing. Really.

The Republican businessman doesn't yet have a plan for how he would make up the $1.75 billion lost, campaign spokesman John Truscott said. He'd have to work that out with lawmakers, possibly as part of a larger restructuring of the state's main corporate tax.

Just figure it all out later. No need to be concerned. It's not like Republicans have a track record of giving big tax cuts to the rich and passing the bill on to you or anything.

DeVos already is on record supporting the repeal of the Single Business Tax by the end of 2007. That tax brings in $1.9 billion annually. DeVos has said he'd replace about half of the SBT revenue with a business tax but has not said what that tax would look like or what he would cut to make up for the rest.

Granholm has said the state needs to replace all of the $1.9 billion or face deep cuts to education, health care and other services.

"His proposal to replace only half of the SBT would force deep cuts in health care and education, would be kicking grandparents off of health care, would force us to ... (open) the doors of prisons," said Jenna Gent of the Granholm campaign. "Eliminating an additional corporate tax is only going to make that hole deeper."

But Dick said he was going to spend more money on public safety and education. How can he make all these cuts and keep those promises?

Cities are getting nervous about the answer to that question. A big percentage of their budget is now on the chopping block. Midland...

As examples, Minnick said the tax brings in about $6.5 million for the city of Midland, or about 18 percent of its budget. In some Wayne County communities, the tax accounts for 20 percent to 35 percent of local budgets.

and Wayne...

City of Wayne finance director Tim McCurley said his city's personal property tax brings in $14 million -- 42% of the city's general budget -- and $7 million for Wayne-Westland Community Schools.

The percentage is unusually high in Wayne because the small city has two large Ford Motor Co. plants with a large amount of taxable machinery.

"Even if you replaced 90% of it, you're still talking about cutting $400,000," McCurley said. "For us to cut that much, you're talking police, fire, public safety."

... and Hillsdale...

"The City of Hillsdale’s personal property taxes represent 54 percent of our tax roll," said Deb Sikorski, city assessor.

"Losses would look like $8,297,264 for all taxing entities (school, county, city). The loss to the city alone would be $2,359,218 in operating dollars."

Even good 'ol Brooks Patterson is taking issue with this idea.

Patterson said Wednesday he supports DeVos' effort to cut taxes, but said the personal property tax could not be eliminated.

"There are some communities where it makes up 40% to 50% of their budget," he said.

Well, Brooks, he told you he was going to "overhaul state government". Did you think he was kidding?

Everyone just settle down. There are plenty of people on Medicaid and other forms of assistance that Dick can eliminate first before he gets around to asking for more money from you. Not like those folks are going to show up in emergency rooms and raise your insurance costs. And, there is plenty of stuff we can sell off first. Just look at all that park land and water sitting there for the taking.

But don't get too comfortable. There is a big bill to be paid, and the money has to come from somewhere.

I'm sure that Dick will ask his friends to chip in. Aren't you?

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

League of Conservation Voters endorses Granholm

You can read Granholm's record on the environment here.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan League of Conservation Voters on Wednesday endorsed Jennifer Granholm for re-election, saying the Democratic governor vastly improved the state's environmental record during her first term.

"Those who understand the nuances and importance of protecting the Great Lakes, preserving the state's spectacular public lands and moving toward a future of cleaner energy, such as Gov. Granholm, should be the ones leading us into the 21st century," the league's director, Lisa Wozniak, said in a news release.

The organization praised Granholm for setting new standards that would reduce mercury emissions from coal-burning power plants by 90 percent by 2015, signing legislation to protect Michigan waters from large-scale withdrawals, and calling for the development of an energy plan for the state.

The league warned that Granholm's Republican opponent, Dick DeVos, has funded organizations such as the Midland-based Mackinac Center for Public Policy that support drilling for oil in the Great Lakes and selling off state parks to raise money for the state.

"What people aren't hearing is that Dick DeVos does have a record on the environment and it forewarns of serious setbacks to Michigan's Great Lakes quality of life if he is elected governor," said Irene Cahill, a league board member.

Granholm For Governor: Truth Squad: Full 2nd debate transcript

Yea! The G4G people have posted a full transcript of the second debate. Click here and scroll down the page.

DeVos & school vouchers: The hidden agenda

The following is a post from July of this year on DeVos and vouchers. I'm happy to say that the links are still live at the mlive/GR Press site, so if you want to read more, follow them.

Last night during the debate the issue of vouchers was touched upon- from the Grand Rapids Press-

Granholm said that education funding is as high as it's ever been, and said she has worked to improve academic standards. She cited a 2002 speech DeVos gave before the conservative Heritage Foundation as proof that DeVos hasn't given up on vouchers, which funnel public funds to private and religious schools.

In the Heritage speech, DeVos said, "When the time comes, we will bring the (voucher) fight back to Michigan again and do everything we can there."

"He will bring it back under the radar," Granholm said.

She is right. Here is my original post:

July 9, 2006

The headline story of the Grand Rapids Press this morning puts the voucher issue back in the spotlight and shows how the DeVos family has funded these initiatives here in Michigan and across the country to the tune of millions of dollars. DeVos is saying one thing to the voters, but his money speaks the truth on what his intentions really are. Go read for a breakdown of the the river of funding on this issue here and elsewhere.

Not surprising- but what is surprising is that in a speech to the Heritage Foundation in 2002, he admits that bullying and stealth are the prefered ways to go about implementing your schemes.

As a candidate for governor, Dick DeVos has carefully calibrated his comments on education, skirting the incendiary issue of vouchers.

But the Republican businessman spoke with more candor -- and what opponents say is contradiction -- in a Dec. 3, 2002, speech before the conservative Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.

"Michigan may well move to the back of the education reform train, which, as a native of Michigan, I'm saddened to say," DeVos told the crowd, two years after vouchers went down decisively in Michigan, in a campaign chaired by DeVos and his wife, Betsy.

"But when the time comes, we will bring the fight back to Michigan again and do everything we can there."

That statement directly contradicts DeVos' statements as a gubernatorial contender. DeVos promises vouchers will not be part of his agenda as governor because Michigan citizens spoke clearly, rejecting the voucher initiative 70 percent to 30 percent.

Back in 2000, he blamed the MEA for the loss. Apparently the voters in Michigan didn't factor into the equation- they were being led by the big, bad union. Silly us.

"We believe this is temporary because the people of Michigan won't allow this injustice to continue," he said. "Obviously my sadness isn't for the campaign, but for those kids who were counting on hope for the future."

DeVos attributed the loss to the "machinery" of the Michigan Education Association, the statewide teacher's union that contributed more than $4 million to defeat the proposal.

"We were up against the most powerful and best-funded political machines," DeVos said. "It's got a tremendous amount of muscle and a tremendous self-interest in preserving the status quo."

DeVos said he and his wife, Betsy, will continue to push for school reform, though he declined to say what form it would take.

Source Citation: "Voucher proposal hurt GOP, critics say; Dick DeVos says he will keep working to extend school aid. Foes blame the campaign for the Michigan defeats of Bush and Abraham.(Front Page)." The Grand Rapids Press (Grand Rapids, MI) (Nov 8, 2000)

Back to the present- Dick drags out the now redundant "other states" canard.

But DeVos said he does believe Michigan can watch what is happening in other states and learn.

The voucher debate in Michigan occurred at a time when there were few examples of that kind of education funding elsewhere, DeVos said in an interview last week. Now, there is a growing track record.

As for the timing of a renewed voucher debate, he said, "I don't know when that will be."

In the Heritage Speech, Dick lays out the plan- punishment for the nay-sayers and general secrecy on the goal. More evidence that Dick threatens retaliation against fellow Republicans and anyone else that won't follow his wishes.

The speech was in part a tactical analysis in which DeVos defined a state-by-state strategy for advancing vouchers. In addition, he urged the audience to construct local organizations that could offer "political consequences for opposition and political reward for support of education reform." He held up as a model the Great Lakes Education Project, formed by DeVos and his wife, Betsy, following the voucher defeat. GLEP challenged Republicans who were viewed as soft on charter schools.

Whatever you do, don't expose your ideas to the light of public debate...

"We need to be cautious about talking too much about these activities, and the political work that needs to go on will go on at the grassroots, it will go on quietly and it will go on in the form that politics is done, one person at a time speaking to another person in privacy," DeVos said at the time.

Why the need to be "cautious"? Because people are so dead-set against your idea that you need to hide it and then bully it through?

Two years after the defeat of his proposal at the polls, Dick remained defiant to public opinion.

Near the close of the speech, during a question-and-answer session, DeVos cautioned his audience against abandoning vouchers in favor of tuition tax credits, which allow reimbursement for private-school tuition.

"I think tax credits would have been clobbered equally or worse within the context of Michigan, due to the dynamics of the situation," DeVos said. "So I am not at all chastened by my support for vouchers by the outcome of that election."

Attention voters: Your opinion Does. Not. Matter.

One thing is for sure- it will be hard to be a Republican under a DeVos administration. Dick seems more than willing to use threats to get his way, perhaps even at the expense of sacrificing someone else's career. It would be difficult to face your constituents after being forced to bow to his wishes on wildly unpopular ideas.

Granholm - DeVos 2nd debate: Opening statements transcription

I will get to more thoughts on the debate as time goes on, but after watching the whole thing and then thinking about these opening statements, I realized that everything I saw last evening boiled down to these few moments right in the beginning. I could have gone and watched the Tigers after that.

Here are the opening statements, transcribed-

DeVos: You know, Im glad we had the second chance for a debate. I learned a few things in the first debate. You know, I came to the debate thinking that we were going to be talking about the issues that matter to the people of Michigan. And yet, what happened is that I saw the Governor of the State of Michigan...look straight into the camera... and lie to the people of Michigan. She knew better. She and her staff have been shopping that story to the news media for months... and I can't say I was disappointed... I'm furious. Apparently the Governor's willing to go anywhere and do anything, or say anything, to keep her job in Michigan. The people of Michigan deserve better. I hope we can discuss the issues this evening.

And with that, Dick's whole performance for the night was laid out for you. You really didn't need to watch much more. His plan was to attack Granholm, attack Granholm again, and, just as in the first debate, offer little to no ideas or plans of his own. "Cut taxes, increase spending" seems to be the economic message from DeVos.

I don't know why Dick chose to lead with the punch that hit him so badly last time, but it showed right off the bat that Dick was more concerned about a blow to himself than addressing the "issues". His focus, his introduction, was all about what he perceived as a slight to him.

Not the people. Not the state. Not his plans. Not the “issues”.

Doesn't that tell you something?

Granholm opened with her own reoccurring theme of the night, and that was explaining how she intends to help the people and the economy of Michigan.

Granholm: Tonight we are going to talk, I certainly hope, about our plans for the future of the State of Michigan. I have set in motion the most aggressive economic plan of any state in the country, because we need it. Our state is in a transition, and so for us, it is critical that we invest in creating jobs today, invest in diversifying our economy to create jobs for tomorrow, and invest, most importantly, in all of our citizens. I look forward to speaking to you about the specifics of this economic plan, and I very much look forward to addressing the policies that are important for leading Michigan in the future. Let's get to it.

And that is exactly what she did. She proceeded to "get to it". She spelled out her plan. She took a few shots here and there, but for the most part she stayed right on message and articulated her ideas very well.

WOOD has the audio and video right here.

More to come...

DeVos says Levin "doesn't have a clue"

Dick is making friends already.

Dick DeVos Tuesday angrily responded to accusations by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin that Amway Corp. under DeVos' leadership undermined federal efforts to tear down trade barriers with China.

"I don't have a clue what he's talking about and he doesn't have a clue either," said DeVos, Republican candidate for governor, during a meeting with Press editors and reporters. DeVos was president of Amway, now Alticor, Inc., from 1992-2002. He called the comments from Levin, D-Detroit, "irresponsible, absolutely irresponsible."

Well, Dick, if you don't have a clue, then how do you know that Carl doesn't have a clue? Could be that you are the one who is clueless here, yes?

Carl Levin- the longest serving Senator in Michigan history, been in office since 1979- his opinions are called "irresponsible" by DeVos.

Alrighty then. Guess we can cross "diplomacy with Washington" off of Dick's list of things to do.

Apparently Dick has "just about had enough" in an interview he gave to the GR Press. Sounds like he needs to "tone it down" lest he be described as "pushy" and "too aggressive".

DeVos goes on to cry about the campaign.

Granholm, he said, does not deserve to be reelected. "You've got to have a lot of guts to run for reelection when you haven't performed," he said. In addition, he accused the governor of engaging in "the politics of personal destruction" with attacks on him.

But Dick hasn't attacked the Governor. No, not Dick. Pay no attention to all those ads that ran immediately after he said he wouldn't get in the mud. Pay no attention to the fact that he hasn't yet produced any evidence that he is either a "leader" or a "jobs creator", either. Just listen as Dick cries about his sad predicament.

Also Tuesday, DeVos decried the tone of the governor's campaign, saying she has indulged in the "sort of politics people in Michigan rightly object to."

Ads that criticize DeVos for investing in China as president of Amway Corp. are an example of Granholm's "cynical manipulation," he said.

Granholm and Democrats are "playing on fear, possibly playing on an undercurrent of racism," DeVos said.

But Dick isn't playing on fear. Those shots of the empty buildings are supposed to suggest growth, right? That certainly isn't cynical manipulation.

Right.

Dick is all about business. He will show "labor" who is the boss.

His election as a businessman would send a powerful message to prospective businesses, especially in a "labor-dominated" state, he said. "That's the world I live in, the world I understand. That's the language I speak," DeVos said.

Do they point the finger and complain a lot in business? Because that is the language Dick is speaking here.

Bet prospective businesses would just love that. We will be oh so popular with Dick at the helm.

Not.

DeVos flip-flop on abortion: transcription from both debates

Devin Scillian: Mr DeVos, abortion law isn't always germane to a gubernatorial race, you've talked before about living under the law of the land, and you told me several months ago that abortion law wasn't the reason why you were running for governor. But we have seen renewed momentum to overturn Roe. vs. Wade in this country, most recently under the pen of the South Dakota governor. If, a bill came to your desk that would place further limits on a woman's right to receive an abortion in Michigan, would you sign it?

DeVos: Devin, I'm comfortable with the laws that we have in Michigan and I see no change. In fact, I opposed, when there was a proposal, a petition initiative that was in this state that was going to, that was going to change the law around in this state, I actually opposed that legislation. Our current laws are quite sufficient. I’m on the pro-life side of this debate, everybody, I think, in Michigan knows that today, but there are people of conscience of both sides of this very challenging issue and our current laws, as it relates to abortion, as it relates to abortion in Michigan are sufficient. I would say that with one exception, and that exception is this, we should be, we should be banning partial birth abortion, a terrible procedure, a terrible procedure that allows for a child that could be very late term, could be very sustainable, outside the womb to be, to be terminated, to be killed. I just think that's completely unacceptable in Michigan and the Governor vetoed that legislation to change that. I would have signed that legislation. I just don't think a procedure like that is something that should exist in Michigan, in fact, the vast majority of people in Michigan agree with me on that particular problem.

Scillian: Just so we are clear, apart from that, you're telling your pro-life colleagues in Michigan that, if a bill were to come to you that would further limit abortion in Michigan, you wouldn't sign it.

DeVos: The bill, the bills, the laws, that exist in Michigan, are sufficient. Thank you.

Granholm: I find it curious because my opponent has said that he doesn't believe that there should be an exception for abortion even in the case of rape or incest. I , too, would ban partial birth abortion, if there were an exception for the life and the health of the mother, that's what the Supreme Court has said would be constitutional. The bill that came to my desk was not constitutional.

LAST WEEK

Skubick: Exceptions for rape and incest on abortion?

DeVos: I’m on the pro-life side of that debate, Tim, I think that’s been very clear from the start.

Skubick: So you do not favor the exceptions for rape and incest.

DeVos: My position on the life question, on the abortion question… well…it’s… you know different people have different views, of course. My position is consistent with, with many individuals across the aisle. I mean, even the Governor’s own, the Governor’s own self proclaimed mentor, the great former attorney General Frank Kelley, shares the same position as well as a couple congressmen from your side of the aisle, Governor. So my position is consistent with theirs as well, that has an exception for the life of the mother, but where life has been created we have great concern about losing it.

Granholm: I just… I …I think that’s just far out of the mainstream. I think that in the case of rape? … or incest?… there’s no exception? I think that government should not be in the doctor’s office, or in the confession, confessional, or in your bedroom. And…ah…. I just think that is… um… a pretty astonishing position, frankly.

DeVos: Well, but the consistent, but it is consistent, I mean, it is consistent position, with people of conscience, people of conscience in both sides of the aisle, inclusive of some very good friends of the Governor whom I think the Governor would also respect as being in the mainstream, and the Governor's veto of, on the same issue of course, as we deal with abortion and the very difficult issue of abortion. The Governor’s veto of partial birth abortion, which many in Michigan I think the overwhelming majority find to be just a tragic and unacceptable procedure, the Governor’s veto of a partial birth abortion bill would suggest that it is quite possible the Governor is way out of the mainstream.

Granholm: I have said repeatedly that I don’t think partial birth abortion is a good thing, but the bill that was sent to me did not have an exception for the life or the health of the mother, and those exceptions have to be in it in order for it to be constitutional.

My Summary: Part of the problem is that DeVos keeps jumping to partial birth abortion instead of answering the question of abortion in general with a straight answer, but, as we see, he now claims that the laws in Michigan are "sufficient", implying that he would not sign new laws limits to abortion.

This is a total change from his previous position a week before, and also inconsistent with his record of donating money to Right to Life and statements he has made in the past on the abortion issue.

Will Right to Life be rescinding their endorsement after this?

He also has mischaracterized the Governor's position in both debates. He attacks her for her veto of the legislation that would have banned partial birth abortion, but yet he says that he would make an exception for the life of the mother, something that particular legislation did not contain. Which is it?

DeVos is trying to play both sides of the aisle on this question so he doesn't appear to be extreme, when in reality his record speaks otherwise. The fact that he would have signed the legislation that the Governor vetoed also shows that, indeed, he would seek to limit abortion options, even though that bill would have put women's lives in danger.

DeVos, with this one issue, has shown that he will say anything to get elected, will hide his true agenda, and will put women's lives in danger if given the chance.

Tuesday, October 10, 2006

Granholm For Governor: Truth Squad: Second Debate

So glad these guys do this. I have notes, but I cannot write this stuff up that fast- so here you go-

DeVos' Debate Distortions: Correcting the Record

"I believe in public education. The people will not see a stronger advocate for public education than me." But Dick DeVos and his wife Betsy believe in taking public tax dollars for private education which drains money from public schools. Dick and Betsy founded All Children Matter, a national organization pushing for vouchers throughout the country. It has been widely reported that the pro-voucher group is lobbying for vouchers in Florida, Louisiana, Ohio, Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin and Utah. There's a reason why the Grand Rapids Press called the couple "the face of the voucher movement." The Detroit News reported Betsy DeVos contributed $200,000 to All Children Matter just this past April. Dick and Betsy also led the unsuccessful 2000 campaign for school vouchers, spending some $10 million. And don't forget, on December 2, 2002, DeVos made his position clear while speaking to the Heritage Foundation: "But when the time comes, we will bring the fight back to Michigan again and do everything we can there."

DeVos said Governor Jennifer Granholm cut funding for public education. That couldn't be further from the truth. Under Governor Granholm's leadership, state funding for K-12 public education is at an all-time high of $7,085 per pupil. Dick DeVos wants you to believe the Governor isn't doing enough to educate our kids, but Governor Granholm is a champion of public education. She is revolutionizing early childhood education programs to get kids ready for school. She instituted tough new curriculum standards for our kids to give them the tools they need to get 21st Century jobs, and she's fighting to give every child in Michigan access to a $4,000 scholarship for college, a plan that DeVos' Republican friends in the Legislature are blocking. DeVos, on the other hand, financed a ballot initiative to create a risky school voucher scheme that would have drained money from public schools and vowed to revisit the issue later.

DeVos said that a meeting was already set up with the Big Three CEOs and President Bush. It's not true. The Associated Press reported on September 6, 2006, "A summit between President Bush and the heads of the Big Three automakers has been pushed back until after the November election, despite an expected visit to the state by Bush this week and increasing pressure from critics who say the White House is ignoring the needs of the struggling industry." DeVos was wrong. In fact, his party said: "The president is meeting with the Big Three after the election," Anderson said. "The president of the United States is not going to bow to political pressure from Gov. Granholm." (Sarah Anderson, Michigan Republican Party).

DeVos: "I went to Washington to fight for MI workers. There was no tax break." The truth is that major media outlets described it as a "tax break." From the Associated Press: "Three months after the DeVos' $ 1 million GOP donation, Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott and House Speaker Newt Gingrich put a last-minute provision onto the compromise tax bill that gave Amway a $ 19 million tax break on its Asian branches, the magazine reported." (Associated Press, October 28, 1998)

DeVos said, "The best way to get health care is to get a job." But the truth is almost 900,000 people do not have health care and they do have a job. Dick DeVos is simply ignoring the problems facing the working uninsured.

( I changed that last bit from the campaign site because the way the Granholm people worded it didn't sound right. I took this from my notes.)

DeVos said he fought for Michigan jobs when lobbying for unfair trade with China. The fact is Governor Granholm did not cause Michigan's economic problems; Dick DeVos' support for unfair trade and outsourcing caused them. Dick DeVos' support for President Bush and unfair trade policies cause the pain our automakers, workers, and economy are feeling now, not Governor Granholm. Michigan lost over 240,000 jobs during the last 2 _ years under Engler, and we have gained 24,000 jobs under Governor Granholm. Michigan's economic problems are a result of slow national economic growth under Bush; and more importantly, the slump in the U.S. auto industry and the fact is that Michigan is far more dependent upon the auto industry than any other state, according to a recent report by the respected Upjohn Institute for Employment Research.

Why Alterra Matters It is yet another example of Dick DeVos' refusal to come clean with Michigan voters. DeVos wants you to believe the Alterra story is irrelevant to this campaign. But it is very relevant because it is an example of his refusal to come clean with the voters of Michigan. Why didn't DeVos disclose this investment when he had the chance? Now DeVos' team says that DeVos isn't in favor of the Governor's proposed disclosure laws. This is troubling. One of the reasons why DeVos may have avoided telling voters about his connection to Alterra is because of the allegations of abuse that took place at many of the chain's locations. DeVos said he had no control of the company, saying he had only a small fraction of the stock, but as legal experts have proved, DeVos did have significant control of company, and his closest business advisor became the company's chairperson. Why won't Dick DeVos just tell the truth? The Alterra story reinforces how much we still don't know about Dick DeVos. That lack of knowledge has made voters mistrust him. Dick DeVos continues to try to mislead Michigan voters about his family's control over the Alterra Healthcare Corporation. DeVos says he held less than 1% of the Alterra common stock but this is a red herring argument. While he did have the option to exercise shared control of about 40% of Alterra's common stock, the common stock is not where the DeVos family control of the company stemmed. The DeVos investment group held 91% of the shares of a special form of "Series A" stock. They did not have to exercise options for the Series A shares, but held them outright. To convince DeVos and his family to invest in Alterra, the company agreed to change its corporate management structure to allow the Series A shareholders (i.e. the DeVos investment group) to name 4 of the company's nine directors, and also changed the rules so that seven of the nine directors were required to approve any major corporate decision. Alterra appointed Jerry Tubergen, the DeVos family's right hand man and the manager of the family fortune, to become the company's chairman. A close associate of Betsy DeVos' family, Robert Haveman, became Alterra Vice-Chairman and later President. All of these facts are well documented in SEC reports, but the DeVos campaign is trying to pick and choose misleading facts in its spin efforts to say they were merely "passive investors" in something like a mutual fund. This is a blatant mischaracterization.

Little bit long on the Alterra thing, there, people, but OK. You're the pros.

Thanks again.

Initial impressions on the debate: Darkness vs. the Light

... for all of you who will be hitting this blog tonight. Or maybe you are watching the Tigers, who knows.

First of all, I tried to be objective. I really did. I was looking for something, anything solid out of DeVos.

All he did was attack Granholm, and attack Michigan. Right from his opening statement he set his theme, and that theme was "Granholm sucks". That's it. That's all he can say.

I heard no plans other than "cut taxes and increase spending". More repeated catch words, "change and leadership and tragic" being the ones that stick out. Spoke better this time, but still repeats talking points over and over and has no substance to anything he says. No vision whatsoever.

No health care plan AT ALL. Zippo. "Get a job" is his answer.

Walked right away from the Right to Life people. Threw them right under the bus. Wow. Total flip flop. Walked away from his support of vouchers, even though he is carrying on that fight in other states as we speak.

Granholm was very good- hit the economic plan right on the money, answered the questions put before her, was succinct ( because she had to be ;-) ) and, of course, was eloquent as usual. Rattled off the things she has accomplished, the plans that are in motion, and her vision for what this state will be in the future. Threw a few jabs, but stuck to talking issues and answering the questions.

Night and day.

Ask yourself Michigan- do you want the darkness, or do you want the light?

The choice presented to you tonight was obvious. Again.

Go see for yourself- WOOD has it up already.

And the Survey(USA) Poll Sez- Granholm 50 DeVos 45

The trend continues...

In an election for Governor of Michigan today, 10/9/06, incumbent Democrat Jennifer Granholm leads Republican challenger Dick DeVos by 5 points, 50% to 45%, according to an exclusive SurveyUSA poll conducted for WDIV-TV Detroit, WZZM-TV Grand Rapids and WDIO-TV Duluth. In two previous SurveyUSA tracking polls, released 9/18/06 and 8/22/06, the candidates had been tied at 47%.

Today, Granholm leads by 19 points among women, up from an 8-point lead with this group. DeVos leads by 9 points among men, a 28-point "gender gap." DeVos leads by 5 points among white voters. Granholm leads by 66 points among black voters. Republicans support DeVos 9:1. Democrats support Granholm 7:1. DeVos has lost ground steadily among Independents. He got 46% of the Independent vote in August, 40% in September, 37% today. DeVos had led by 10 among Suburban voters, now leads by 1. Today, Granholm leads 2:1 in Wayne County. The race is tied other regions of Michigan. The election is in 29 days, on 11/7/06.

Stabenow up 53 - 42. Cox leads 46- 42, but the gap is closing. Land is still the tough one to beat, 51 - 38. And we are all confused on Prop 2- 36 yes, 29 no, 35 undecided.

Granholm vs. DeVos: Round 2- the world according to Geha

Having a hard time writing about this because I am absolutely livid at the notion that she should let him up off the mat. That's bullshit. Sorry that Dick thinks he can get away with babbling a few key phrases over and over again so he doesn't have to reveal his ideas to anyone- but that in no way, shape or form has anything to do with Granholm. She kicked his ass up and down the stage last time, and I hope she does it again tonight. If Dick can't take the heat, then Dick isn't qualified for this job.

And another thing- the pundits call her "long-winded", but yet say she has to "flesh out her ideas". Maybe if the media and the pundits opened their ears instead of listening for 30-second sound bites, they would see that it takes a little bit more than a catch phrase to deal with the issues that face the state.

This format will be different, so those who say Dick should be more aggressive and "interrupt her" will be disappointed.

The first debate was a wide-open conversation that resulted in hot rhetoric, charges and counter-charges. The Tuesday debate will be much more structured.

Michigan's candidates for governors will face questions from Mike Wendland of the Detroit Free Press, Devin Scillian from Detroit's WDIV, and WOOD TV8's Rick Albin. Suzanne Geha will be the moderator.

The questions will alternate between the two candidates and rotate through the panel. Each candidate will have two minutes to respond to an initial question, followed by a one-minute reply from the other. The first candidate will then get an additional 30-seconds in rebuttal.

And for the Republicans that lament that Dick should just "stick to the economy", they better take a look at the debate agreement that WOOD has posted.

There shall be no limit to the number of topics that may be discussed in any debate or joint appearance, nor shall any topics by specifically excluded from discussion in any debate or joint appearance. Further, the moderators of each debate shall insure that a wide-range of topics are discussed.

It's not just the economy that needs to be discussed. Dick has been hiding his extreme right wing views and financial support of these radical groups- time to start calling him out on it.

But somehow I doubt that will come from Geha or Albin. (Although, I must say that after watching Skubick, my appreciation for Rick has increased.)

Tonight at 8 on your local NBC station. The Tigers can wait. They will be there when this is done.

NFL Week 5 Results:

Chicago 40, Buffalo 7

Carolina 20, Cleveland 12

Minnesota 26, Detroit 17

New England 20, Miami 10

St. Louis 23, Green Bay 20

New Orleans 24, Tampa Bay 21

Indianapolis 14, Tennessee 13

N.Y. Giants 19, Washington 3

Kansas City 23, Arizona 20

Jacksonville 41, N.Y. Jets 0

San Francisco 34, Oakland 20

Philadelphia 38, Dallas 24

San Diego 23, Pittsburgh 13

Denver 13, Baltimore 3

12-2.

Monday, October 09, 2006

Levin critical of DeVos on China trade

Carl tells it like it is.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Carl Levin says the conditions Amway Corp. agreed to so it could sell products in China undermined work by Michigan lawmakers to tear down trade barriers there against U.S.-made goods.

Levin, a Detroit Democrat, told the Associated Press in a recent interview that Amway acquiesced to discrimination against U.S. products by the Chinese government and restrictions on selling U.S.-made goods on the Chinese market.

He takes exception to comments made by Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos that, while he was Amway president from 1993-2002, he "competed in China and won." The direct-sales company invested $200 million in China to build a factory there because China would allow Amway to sell only goods that were made there.

Levin said he was troubled by DeVos' address to the state Republican party convention in late August when the businessman said "there is only one candidate in this race who has ever run a manufacturing company. There is only one candidate in this race who has competed in China and won."

Said Levin: "That characterization to me is so off the mark, runs so contrary to what we have to do, what we need to do, to reduce this trade imbalance.

"That's not competing and winning for Michigan," he said.

Levin said he recognized that not "any one company can knock the barriers down. But when a candidate for governor calls that competing and winning, he is undermining the effort to knock down these barriers."

The U.S. has a record $202 billion trade deficit with China and critics say China's currency is undervalued by up to 40 percent, making Chinese goods cheaper for American consumers and U.S. products more expensive in China.

Michigan lawmakers also have criticized the country's record on intellectual property rights, accusing it of leading to billions in dollars in lost revenue because of counterfeit auto parts.

Amway has made billions in China.

One wonders- where is all that money? Dick certainly hasn't brought it back here.

THE definitive ad of this campaign season

This is it. Right here. If you only watch one ad this year (HAHAHAHA!), watch this one.

Quicktime version here.

Windows Media high resolution here.

From the MDP:

LANSING- Today the Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) unveiled a new television ad on Republican gubernatorial candidate Dick DeVos titled “Twins”. The ad, which begins airing today, shows how there is no difference between DeVos and President Bush. DeVos’ family has given over a half million dollars to Bush’s political campaign and a strong supporter of Bush’s unfair trade and tax policies.

“A vote for Dick DeVos is a vote for President Bush,” said Michigan Democratic Party Chair Mark Brewer. “President Bush has ignored Michigan throughout his term and has supported unfair tax and trade polices that have severely harmed our manufacturers. Dick DeVos has been a very strong advocate for these failed policies. Bush’s crony DeVos would be a recipe for disaster for Michigan.”

Michigan has been especially hurt by President Bush’s economic polices. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Michigan has lost over 180,000 or 1/3 of its manufacturing jobs since Bush took office. Many of those jobs were lost due to outsourcing.

Dick DeVos has a history of giving large amounts to Republicans. The Center for Responsive Politics reported that while Dick DeVos was President of Amway, the company gave nearly $7 million dollars to Republican candidates and organizations. Common Cause reported in 1994 that Amway made record-setting soft-money contribution of $2.5 million to the Republican Party. The DeVos family has poured millions of their own money on top of the Amway contributions.

They got the line wrong, though. It should go, "If you like George Bush, you'll love Dick DeVos." More punch that way.

Whatever. It's all good.

Awesome job, MDP.

The Disembodied Head tries to tell us the difference between the two. Um, I'm still not seeing it. Try harder, Dick.

DeVos: Game Over

New ad from the Granholm campaign- and they have a bunch of facts to support it, of course. One interesting point-

FACT: A November 2005 report to Congress of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said, “The U.S. government does not collect comprehensive data on how offshore movement of U.S. production through overseas investment and outsourcing affects U.S. employment. The Commission funded two studies that utilized differing methodologies to assess such unemployment effects. One estimated that U.S. production shifts to China in 2004 alone resulted in a loss of 100,000 U.S. jobs. The other found that nearly $1.5 million U.S. job opportunities have been displaced over the period 1989-2003 due to U.S.-China trade deficits.” (www.uscc.gov, 2005 Annual Report)

Why doesn't the US government "collect comprehensive data" on this? Sure would like to know at least a ballpark (ha ha) figure on all outsourcing, not just China.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

How to Dance Like Dick: Today's lesson- the SBT Shuffle

Pay attention. This one gets tricky in spots, and incorporates many different moves taken from all forms of traditional Republican dance. For your convenience, the moves to the SBT Shuffle are recorded here, starting at 35:38 on the tape.

Are you properly warmed up? Good. Let's begin.

Cue the band. A-one, a-two, a-three...

Question: Mr. DeVos, how much do you favor replacing, once we do away with the SBT, and if it is a billion dollars short of what we are currently taking in, where do you propose we make a billion dollars worth of cuts?

Simplified; how much replaced, where do we cut.

Now watch as Dick does the SBT Shuffle, complete with notes to help you learn the steps.

DeVos: Well, Charlie... um... I think... uh... the Governor once again is... uh... it's just... it's just, it's just so disappointing to hear continued references to what happened four years ago... and when violent crime is up 12% as you point out just last year...

Start your dance with words that have nothing to do with the question before you. Step to the side, and then step to the side again, totally changing direction as you go.

"I want a governor who is going to take responsibility and is going to step up and fix things and move us forward and not blame Washington and blame everywhere else, the citizens of Michigan are pretty good at figuring out blame, they know how to get that done..."

Notice how far removed we are from the question now.

Next, throw in a "Platitude Pirouette"...

"... what they want, they want solutions, and they want answers, and they want their streets safe and they want our children to be protected and that's critically important..."

And now, bring it back with a "Lindy Hop Leap" to the home position.

"And that's why I've proposed a SBT replacement."

This should throw your competition for a loop. (Granholm: You have?) Jump up and down in place at this point.

"I've been very, very clear about a SBT replacement plan and here are the components..."

For the next part of the dance you simply repeat the same words in random order in a flurry of sentences designed to create the "Ibo Illusion" that you are saying something different each time.

"Number one is it needs to be a business based tax. Now there are some who have advocated otherwise, but I said replace the business tax with a business tax."

A tax on business.

"Second thing... don't go over and try to penalize or tax the families of Michigan, keep it focused on business."

A tax on business.

"Three: I've said at least the majority of the income has to be replaced, now we have to work out the details of how... where that level is to assure the next component that is a broad based competitive tax that is going to serve the people of Michigan and job creation."

A tax on business that is competitive.

Nice flurry there- in three steps you have managed to go nowhere at all while magically suggesting that you have!

Next- the "Pavane Pounce", a dramatic move that ends with a proclamation that something bad is actually something good. Very tricky for beginners.

"This is a tax that has driven jobs out of Michigan. It's good that it's gone. I'm proud to have taken it out."

You have disrupted the whole dance floor at this point, creating uncertainity among the crowd and even upset the owners of the dance hall.

Not a problem! Simply restate the original question put before you, complete with a sideways kick at the competition!

"... and now I'm pleased for the discussion to it for a solution, I haven't heard the Governor's specific plan to replace the SBT either.

(Granholm: let me be specific then, happy to tell you)

But it's very important that we get on with this to settle this and to bring certainty to the people of Michigan. The SBT is gone and let's move on to the replacement. I've put forward a specific plan."

And that is the SBT Shuffle. Let's hear what the judge has to say...

In the role of Simon Cowell, we have DFP journalist Brian Dickerson.

But DeVos has stubbornly refused to talk about his own plans, conceding only that the doomed SBT will have to be replaced with some sort of corporate levy that captures "about half" the revenues the old tax generated.

In lieu of alternatives, the Republican nominee offers excuses, delegating surrogates to write Op-Ed pieces explaining why no gubernatorial candidate can assess the relative merits of various tax schemes until he has access to the tax returns of every private employer in the state.

DeVos also refuses to disclose what government functions he'd eliminate or curtail to cut the $950 million or so he'd like to return to corporate taxpayers.

He glibly quotes Lee Iacocca's observation that any CEO who can't cut overall spending by 5% ought to be sent packing. But SBT revenues account for a far larger proportion of state spending than that -- about one in every five discretionary spending dollars. In that context, Iacocca's remark is just another evasion.

Even four months ago, when I first asked DeVos which government functions he'd forsake to slash businesses taxes -- or which other class of taxpayers he'd ask to make up the slack -- I thought his unwillingness to address the question squarely was lame.

Now, with the election a month away, his continuing evasions are downright insulting.

Ouch. The SBT Shuffle gets a big thumbs down. Thanks for playing, Dick.

Coming in the future: the Family Values Foxtrot. Be sure and tune in next time as Dick shows us how to dance slowly away from the conservative base without them noticing- your next lesson in the on-going series, "How to Dance Like Dick". Check your local listings.

Feisty Tigers Send Yankees Packing

I dated the Tigers; I married the Cubs. (You can stop laughing now.)

It sure was good to see my first love slay the mighty giant and bring victory back to the city of Detroit. Go Tigers!

DETROIT (AP) -- As a reborn baseball town erupted in splashes of orange and blue around them, the Detroit Tigers danced in the infield, kicking up dirt like kids on a sandlot.

They grabbed Jim Leyland, hoisted him on their shoulders and carried him off the field as 43,000 delirious fans screamed as one. The manager's ride was a short one, but the party was just getting started.

The Tigers are still on the prowl. The mighty New York Yankees struck out.

Three years after losing 119 games, they moved back among baseball's biggest cats with an 8-3 victory Saturday in Game 4 over the Yankees, whose $200 million payroll couldn't help them against Detroit's pitching.

These man-eating Tigers simply devoured New York, outplaying the Yanks in every phase to advance to their first AL championship series since 1987. On Tuesday, the Tigers will play at Oakland in Game 1 of the AL championship series, the first postseason meeting between the clubs since 1972.

The AL championship series in a way is a tribute to the strength of both team's farm systems- and it all starts in the Midwest League.

The Whitecaps, affiliate of the Tigers, is routinely in the playoffs. The Kane County Cougars (remember them?), affiliate of the A's, is routinely in the playoffs. They both have fielded some great teams based on strength of pitching, and they usually end up playing each other in the post season. There are Whitecaps on the Tiger roster- I'm sure there are Cougars on the A's roster. That winning attitude starts young.

And so we meet again.

Game 1 Tuesday night- but watch the debate first. The game probably won't start until 8:20 or so anyway.

NFL Week 5: Is it Sunday again already?

Buffalo at Chicago

Cleveland at Carolina

Detroit at Minnesota

Miami at New England

St. Louis at Green Bay

Tampa Bay at New Orleans

Tennessee at Indianapolis

Washington at N.Y. Giants

Kansas City at Arizona

N.Y. Jets at Jacksonville

Oakland at San Francisco

Dallas at Philadelphia

Pittsburgh at San Diego

Baltimore at Denver

Open date: Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, Seattle

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Granholm, DeVos may join up for ad

Now I'm confused. Dickie gives lots and lots of money to all those right wing groups that oppose affirmative action.

The discussion about producing a joint ad came up after a meeting Thursday at New Detroit. The two candidates, apparently in separate discussions, agreed at least to consider cutting a commercial opposing Proposal 2, the ballot initiative that would ban affirmative action in government hiring and contracting, and in college admissions.

"The governor has agreed to do the ad. It's an important issue to her. And we're pleased he (DeVos) has agreed to pay for it," Granholm campaign spokesman Chris DeWitt said Friday.

But Chris, even you said that DeVos has supported these people. Remember this?

"Dick DeVos is so far to the right it would make Rush Limbaugh blush," DeWitt said. "He has supported groups that oppose all abortions, oppose stem cell research, oppose affirmative action, support outsourcing and unfair trade agreements, school vouchers, worked against the environment.

"The DeVos camp has gone out of its way to avoid answering any questions. What they can't hide is the fact that DeVos' actions in support of these groups speak very loudly."

Could it be that once again Dick is hiding his true colors? After all, even Ward Connerly has suggested that Dick wants to ban affirmative action and is only doing this to appear moderate.

DeVos is opposing the ballot proposal for political gain, Connerly said, because he doesn't want to energize Granholm voters. But he suggested DeVos personally supports MCRI.

Ward is all bummed out about the money drying up. He says that people don't want to anger DeVos, indicating that Dick is a vindictive human being that will make them pay for screwing up his plans.

Speaking at a taping of the public television program "Off the Record," Connerly said, "People don't want to get on the bad side of Dick DeVos."

Connerly said potential GOP contributors to MCRI fear being on the outs with a DeVos administration if he is elected.

He said after the taping that Michigan is known to have a vindictive political climate, that those in power "don't forget who their enemies are."

Not only is Dick saying one thing out of his mouth and doing another thing with his wallet, he risks alienating other Republicans.

Then again, Dick never actually says he is a Republican, either.

But DeVos risks rankling an important part of his base if he does the ad.

A Detroit News poll published Friday shows Republicans support Proposal 2, the affirmative action ban, 59 percent to 19 percent.

Oops, bad for Dick. My guess is this never happens.

And I don't want to see the Governor enable Dick in his deception, either, even if it would be a nifty trick to suppress votes from his base. ;-)

Friday, October 06, 2006

INDIGO GIRLS - Shame On You (Live in 1999)

Trying a new way to put video up here-

This one goes out to Mike Bouchard and the NRSC 'cause it fits, but while we are at it let's add George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Condi Rice, Donald Rumsfeld, Karl Rove, Bill Frist, Denny Hastert... who have I forgotten? ... everyone in Washington who thinks protecting the party is more important than protecting children, everyone in Washington who couldn't anticipate that they would fly planes into buildings, couldn't anticipate that the levees would be breached, couldn't anticipate the "insurgency" would be so strong.

Special shout out to Richard and Dick DeVos for carrying on in the fine tradition of all the folks above. Remember, being a Republican means never having to say you're sorry. Or take responsibility. Ever.

May everyone see the light.

DeVos first to stumble in Michigan governor's race

Jack Lessenberry says everything I wanted to say about the debate- but I have a few additions.

And in his first debate Monday night against the incumbent, Gov. Jennifer Granholm, he turned in the worst performance by a major candidate for governor that anyone can remember.

Dude, that's harsh. But possibly true, I don't know. I've never watched any other debates for governor.

Though Michigan's unemployment is the highest in the nation, though the economy is bad and sure to get worse, it was the challenger who was on the defensive.

That's because he's lying, but he hasn't raised it to an art form yet.

He seemed evasive. He looked uneasy. Viewers thought he needed a shave. He might have been expected to charge out of the box, and attack the governor for failing to bring new jobs to Michigan.

There is something not quite right about Dick, and I'm having a heck of a time putting my finger on it. It's in his eyes. It's in the way he moves. Other people have noticed it too, and have mentioned a discomfort with his physical presence- like there is something underneath the surface that makes them very uneasy about him.

Something wicked this way comes.

Lessenberry goes on to point out the Bush-like debating technique of simply repeating key words, no matter what the question.

But he didn't. Looking faintly nervous, the 50-year-old former head of the Amway (now Alticor) Corp. repeated, over and over, the term "leadership," which he said he would provide. You might have expected him to recite some of the numbers which tell the story of a state in economic trouble. The climbing unemployment rate, the jobs lost with more layoffs coming.

The 47-year-old governor has in the past promised better times and made economic predictions that haven't come true - and the challenger might have been expected to zing her with her own words.

Instead, he merely repeated, "leadership." When the governor attacked him, he said, over and over, "That's disappointing."

"He has a good team. They did everything they could to prepare him," said a high-ranking former GOP media consultant. "But Dick was off riffing on his own."

I have a feeling that Dick doesn't take direction well. Just a hunch. He has never had to follow anyone's orders, except perhaps from his father. And maybe Betsy. It suggests an arrogance that does not bode well for a position that needs give and take to be successful.

Next, watch Dick dance on the issues. I picked up on this, too- he evaded nearly every question.

The SBT-

But Dick DeVos on his feet seemed to be something else again. He seemed short on specifics. Asked about the legislature's decision to abolish the Single Business Tax, which raises $1.9 billion a year for the cash-strapped state budget, he said "I'll replace more than half of it," but was unable or unwilling to say how.

And on social issues-

Instead, he seemed to try to evade a direct answer. Finally, he admitted how he felt about abortion - and to the governor's presumed delight, threw in that he also opposed embryonic stem-cell research. The coup de grace came, however, when the governor chided Mr. DeVos for not making his tax returns public, as she has.

And then the bottom fell out-

When he replied that he had released a comprehensive statement of his holdings and investments, she pounced.

Why, she asked, had he concealed from the people a $170 million investment in Alterra Healthcare Corp., a Wisconsin-based nursing home/assisted living center chain that faced allegations of patient sexual abuse, and declared bankruptcy?

What was the challenger's answer? "Tragic," he said. "And it turned out to be a bad investment as well," he added.

Sitting at home, one could feel the DeVos managers cringe. For the next three days, newspapers had front-page stories about the candidate and the nursing home chain. In one hour, the governor had changed the conversation and caused her challenger to spend days on the defensive.

She's good. Something tells me this is one woman you don't want to piss off. She can turn that famous sunny charisma and wield it like a sharp knife when she wants to, but somehow that quality is used against her. There have been rumblings about Granholm's performance, and they indicate that sexist attitudes still exist.

Albin quoted Sarpolus as saying her demeanor turned off some Democratic women, but he also said that DeVos turned off some Republican men. Skubick focused on Dick and how he handled her being a "her".

His advisers made sure he did not cross that imaginary and often dangerous line when contending with a female opponent.

I can't wait for the day when none of that matters, but apparently we aren't there yet.

People complain that she hasn't been aggressive enough, but when she gets aggressive, it turns people off. She has to walk this very fine line.

But then again, so does Dick.

Round two next Tuesday night.

Xenophobia- It's OK if You're A Republican

When Granholm and the MDP pointed out that Dick DeVos created jobs in China, the howls of "xenophobia" rang out from the conservatives- from the GR Press to the Detroit News to the ring-wing state blogs to DeVos' own campaign website.

Xenophobia is the fear of strangers or foreigners. Since the ads only pointed out Dick's record, and not an attack on the Chinese people themselves, these protests rang false- just another Republican deflection from the real issue of creating jobs in other countries while neglecting the workers of Michigan.

That didn't stop the feigned outrage.

The NRSC has now created a web site targeting Debbie Stabenow. Will the people who were so upset about the China ads be speaking up this time?

Don't hold your breath waiting.

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A national Latino advocacy group said Wednesday that it is upset about a Web site set up by the National Republican Senatorial Committee that criticizes Democratic U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan.

The Web site, paid for by the NRSC and not authorized by any candidate, pictures a cutout of Stabenow in a sombrero. "Mexican Hat Dance" plays while the NRSC's review of Stabenow's voting record on immigration and border security is displayed in Spanish or English.

The National Council of La Raza asked for the Web site — http://www.muchasgraciasdebbie.com — to be removed, saying it is offensive and misrepresents some policy debates.

The site is just one set up by the NRSC to criticize Stabenow, who faces a re-election challenge from Republican Mike Bouchard, the Oakland County sheriff.

Another NRSC site criticizes Stabenow's recent efforts related to the importation of Canadian trash in both French and English. Another tackles Stabenow's record on the economy and other topics in English only.

This next one should be good in light of the criticism leveled at Granholm and the MDP.

A site set to debut soon will criticize Stabenow's record on China in both Chinese and English, the NRSC said.

NRSC spokesman Brian Walton said in a statement that the Web sites are a way to show voters Stabenow's record in the Senate that he says "she is misrepresenting and the mainstream media is failing to examine."

Walton said the NRSC does not plan to pull down the Web sites.

The web site mentioned above contains an Active X application that choked my browser, so I'm not going to link to it.

The DSCC also had an ad that upset some Hispanic groups. The difference? They pulled it down when asked.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee also has been criticized this election season by Hispanic groups that said a Web ad unfairly depicted illegal immigrants as terrorists. That Web ad was taken down.

Xenophobia- it's OK if you are a Republican.

Thursday, October 05, 2006

EPIC
poll numbers: Granholm 46 - DeVos 40

It's poll day today, apparently. Strange that Rasmussen would have a higher number for Granholm than EPIC.

WOOD has the breakdown once again.

43% Jennifer Granholm

3%lean toward Granholm

46% Total GRANHOLM

34% Dick DeVos

6% lean toward DeVos

40% Total DeVOS

1% Gregory Creswell the Libertarian

--% Bhagwan Dashaiya the US Taxpayer Party

1% Douglas Campbell the Green Party

12% Undecided/don't know

They both lost ground from the last poll. (Granholm 50- DeVos 42)

For Stabenow-

45% Debbie Stabenow

3% lean toward Stabenow

48% Total STABENOW

30% Michael Bouchard

5% lean toward Bouchard

35% Total BOUCHARD

1% W. Dennis FitzSimon the US Taxpayer Party

--% David Sole the Green Party

1% Leonard Schwartz the Libertarian

15% Undecided/don't know

And the debate-

Did you watch the televised gubernatorial debate (Monday night) between Jennifer Granholm and Dick DeVos?

39%Yes

60% No

1% Refused

Who do you think won the debate, Jennifer Granholm or Dick DeVos?

31% Granholm

8% Neither (volunteered)

6% DeVos

3% Both (volunteered)

52% Undecided/don't know

WOOD is all excited because the drop in the numbers makes the next debate so very important (for their ratings.)

Also questions on the ads and Prop 2. Go take a look.

Rasmussen: Granholm 49 - DeVos 42

As we all know by now, Rasmussen leans Pub. If they have her at 49, it probably means she is well over 50.

MI-Gov Rasmussen

49% Granholm-D*

42% DeVos-R

Stabenow cruising. I still think this will be closer in the end.

MI-Sen Rasmussen

56% Stabenow-D*

39% Bouchard-R

The last Rasmussen had Granholm down by 2- so this is excellent news. (Yeah, yeah, the only poll that counts is November, I know...)

DeVos- no disclosure law needed

Of course not. Why should government officials have to tell of their investments and business dealings? We can trust them not to steer legislation and/or state contracts for the benefit of their campaign contributors and lobbyists! They wouldn't use the power of government to personally profit themselves or their friends and family!

Don't be silly.

Republican candidate for governor Dick DeVos is being slammed by Democrats for not making a complete disclosure of his considerable finances -- including an investment in a chain of problem-racked assisted living homes.

But the fact is, DeVos isn't required to report anything. Michigan is one of only three states -- along with Vermont and Idaho -- with no financial disclosure law.

The 47 other states and the federal government require legislators and members of Congress to report personal financial information so voters can judge whether public officials are using their offices for personal gain.

The vast majority of states also requires governors to report, and many set the same standards for gubernatorial candidates, according to the Washington, D.C.-based watchdog group Center for Public Integrity.

Granholm has called for disclosure laws, and a bill has been introduced in Lansing. But- ta da!- our Republican legislature didn't act on it. Wonder why?

It remains to be seen whether the current flap over DeVos' finances drives a change in Michigan law.

State Rep. Steven Tobocman, D-Detroit, who has introduced a bill to require personal financial disclosure, thinks it should.

"It's outlandish that we have no requirements. It's obvious the public wants and deserves financial disclosure," Tobocman said.

His bill would require revealing sources of income, holdings and debts. He said he would be happy if the bill followed the congressional model requiring members of Congress to list those items in a dollar range.

Common Cause says that the disclosure statement that DeVos released wouldn't pass most state laws.

In March, DeVos released an eight-page disclosure statement that listed current investments and sources of income as well as charitable contributions dating back eight years. His document included no dollar figures, meaning it would not comply with requirements in most states, said John Chamberlin, chairman of Common Cause-Michigan, a nonpartisan political ethics watchdog.

"His disclosure is better than nothing. But it falls short of what states with disclosure laws would require," Chamberlin said.

Dating back 8 years. But Dick didn't feel the need to tell us about Alterra.

If it were left up to Dick, he wouldn't have to tell us about anything.

Granholm supports the Tobocman bill; John Truscott, spokesman for the DeVos camp, said DeVos doesn't feel a law is needed.

Much easier to raid the treasury if no one knows you are going to personally profit from it.

EDIT: From the comments- Nirmal has an excellent post on how both DeVos and Anuzis have lied to the public on the statements from Common Cause. Go read..

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Muhammad Ali endorses Granholm in Michigan governor's race

Very cool.

DETROIT (AP) — Boxing legend Muhammad Ali endorsed Gov. Jennifer Granholm for re-election on Wednesda